We’re holding the mighty in Wisconsin to account

The editorial board
| Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Editorials are written with the consensus of our newsroom, which discusses issues, decides what to write and when to write it, and always operates independently of our news reporters. We publish editorials to promote discussion, encourage sound public policy, and hold politicians and powerful institutions accountable.

The editorial board represents the 11 main USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin sites: Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, Oshkosh, Wausau, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids and Marshfield. The role of editorial has become more focused in recent years at many independent news organizations, including ours.

Larger regional newspapers such as the Journal Sentinel used to publish several editorials each day, necessarily on a wide range of topics.

But the media landscape has changed dramatically in recent decades. Opinion has replaced news as a mainstay on television channels such as Fox News and MSNBC, on national and local radio stations and on political websites, many of which are quietly funded by the same special interests that contribute to to a great extent during election campaigns.

As the opinions of celebrity hosts aimed at specific audiences filled the airwaves, newspaper editorials became less appreciated and less read. With so much mixing of opinion with reporting elsewhere, people have started to confuse the two in our publications – where editorial writing and news reporting have always been kept separate.

We decided to rethink the way we used this unique tool – the editorial.

As a result, we now write fewer editorials and focus on issues where the public recognizes our unique expertise or special duty. Our editorials defend the First Amendment, public records, and public access to government meetings. They also highlight government corruption and ensure that the rights and views of minorities are respected by the majority in our democracy.

Our editorials continued to make a major impact.

On the eve of the Fourth of July Holiday in 2015, for example, legislative leaders secretly tried to kill the state’s Open Records Act with language slipped into a budget bill. I quickly declared a “Disclosure Statement” and said in an editorial that this outrage goes against American values. In addition to that day’s news, we published the editorial on the front page, urging readers to contact their representatives.

By the time the politicians marched in the parades that weekend, they were already reversing course due to huge public protests from people across the political spectrum, conservatives and liberals.

The editorial is extremely independent of any politician, political party or special interest group. We work for our subscribers and our community – period.

Yes. In the past, when we wrote several editorials a day and published many more comments than we do now, we had a staff that only worked on editorials and comment pages.

Now, our editorial board members all have other duties within our network, but we take great care to insulate them from the day-to-day decisions about how our organizations cover the news. The Council operates separately and independently from news departments. If any board member feels they may have a conflict due to other activities, those discussions are waived. Reporters have nothing to do with editorials about the issues they cover.

We don’t have a set schedule, but we write editorials as issues arise.

The Ideas Lab is where we feature our editorials, solution-focused stories, and expert commentary and analysis on public policy. At the heart of our mission is giving the people of Milwaukee and Wisconsin the opportunity to express their opinions on a wide range of topics.

Tips for getting your insights published in the Journal Sentinel

Here are some tips for sharing your views with friends, family, neighbors, and our state:

Please include your name, street address and daytime telephone number.
We generally limit letters to 200 words.
Cite the sources where you found the information or the article that prompted your letter.
Be civil and constructive, especially when criticizing.
Avoid ad hominem attacks, address a position, not a person.
We cannot confirm receipt of submissions.
We do not publish poems, anonymous or open letters.
Each writer is limited to one letter published every two months.
All letters are subject to change.
Write: Letters to the Editor, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 330 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 500, Milwaukee, WI, 53202. Fax: (414)-223-5444. E-mail: [email protected] or send using the form found on bottom of this page.

We look forward to publishing your letters!

Guest columns are longer and more comprehensive submissions

Have more to say than can fit in a letter to the editor? The Journal Sentinel also publishes guest columns, sometimes called op-eds. Guest columns are longer, include more sources, and represent a higher quality of argument and writing.

We only publish opinion pieces written exclusively for our readers and automatically reject mass-produced work. Submissions that are shorter have a better chance of being published, so aim for 300 to 750 words. Guest columns often focus on news or events of the day, but not exclusively. Sometimes writers explore historical events, personal experiences, or observations that figure into current issues.

Want more tips for writing an opinion piece? Read this guide from Harvard University

Before submitting, here are a few things to include:

A short biography, two sentences maximum, to run at the end of your column.
If you or a business, trade group or other institution with which you are associated stand to gain financially or in any other way from your column, you should disclose this information to us in detail. In most cases, it should also be included in the body of the piece or in the author’s biographical information. The persons presented in the columns should be identified by their real, full names.
Links (URLs, not titles or footnotes) to support citations and specific material.
A headshot in .jpg format.

You can submit opinion pieces to [email protected]. If you have an idea and need guidance, or have a question about submitting, email Ideas Lab Editor Jim Fitzhenry at: [email protected].