Why does the newspaper have an opinion page? Shouldn newspapers confine themselves to the facts?
Getting the facts, and getting them right, is one of the central functions of a newspaper. But being an informed citizen requires more than facts; it requires knowing how the facts fit together. To some extent, a well-written news story can help with that. But for complete understanding of a complex issue, a citizen needs to be exposed to carefully constructed arguments that include subjective opinions. On the editorial page, we try to present a range of opinions – from our own to those that are diametrically opposed to ours – on the news of the day. Our aim is to place the news in context, and to help readers have a deeper understanding of the issues – whether agree with the stands we take or not.
