| A unique set of emails comes into my mailbox at odd intervals, using the same condescending tone and phrases to criticize what the writers say are our lopsided-to-the-left opinion pages. I suspect the waves of these emails are triggered by something, possibly by anti-media rants by Tucker Carlson on Fox News, as some of the notes refer to him. And I believe the people writing the notes have not actually read our opinion pages. Because they are flat-out wrong. Our opinion pages are anything but lopsided. This purpose of this column is to show you why I can say that with such confidence. When our newsroom began coordinating content in The Plain Dealer almost two years ago, multiple people had responsibility for different parts of the Forum sections. They were all well-meaning and dedicated, but they did not know what others were selecting for areas of their responsibility. There came a Sunday soon after I became Plain Dealer editor when we had a Forum section that was entirely one-sided. That was embarrassing, because I’d been explaining to you how hard we work to balance our content. We immediately put together a system to make sure that never happened again. Ever since, at 1 p.m. Fridays, a group of us has met via Microsoft Teams to analyze the plan for our opinion pages for balance. I’m in the meeting, as is Elizabeth Sullivan, our editor of opinion content. So is William “Skip” Hall, the design leader for The Plain Dealer – and the guy responsible for all of those savagely witty headlines you love, along with Mike Mentrek, who is responsible for design of the Forum section. We are joined by former Plain Dealer editor Tim Warsinskey, who handles opinion content for the Advance Local Enterprise, and Jeff Glick, who leads the Advance Local design lab. That’s a substantial group of serious people with a single-minded purpose to make sure the opinion pages are balanced. We talk about every piece of content, classifying each as right, left and neutral, to ensure we have an equal mix. We talk about editorial cartoons, to make sure that we have balance. And we have Bob Higgs, our former Statehouse Bureau chief, combing through opinion pieces from the wires for relevance -- and fairness. Week in and week out, we ensure that we have the balance that we have promised you. So why do I get the waves of emails to the contrary? Like I said, I suspect there is a trigger. And, the fact is that people who listen to and believe the preposterous fictions peddled by Tucker Carlson likely are not an audience for our opinion pages. Do you think anyone at Fox News is meeting to consider whether the material on Carlson’s shows is balanced? Of course not. Fox is on record in court saying that Carlson’s is not a news show and what he says “cannot reasonably be interpreted as facts.” We produce our opinion platforms to give people multiple perspectives so they can make up their own minds about issues. Yes, make up their own minds. That’s what America is supposed to be about: independent thought. It was part of our founding principles. I’d argue it’s un-American to believe anyone – especially someone as appallingly dishonest as Carlson – without using the filter of independent thought. Placing blind faith in anyone is a mistake, with potentially dire consequences. Now you know the mission of our opinion pages and the rigorous process we use to meet that mission. If you believe in what we are doing – if you want to help ensure that dedicated journalists continue to bring you the kinds of perspectives we feature -- please consider supporting us by subscribing. We have a special at the moment, where you pay $1 a month for the first three months. You can take advantage of it at tinyurl.com/onedollarspecial Thanks for reading. | 