October 26, 2009

In an effort to continue the presentation of challenging topics and stimulating conversation, United Church News has inaugurated a series of new editorial features to appear on its news portal.

Sixteen contributors from around the UCC will make contributions to the "Opinion / Editorial" section of the site, one being added each week. The list of authors includes the Collegium, pastors in various settings, Conference ministers and lay people.

"The news portal lets us rapidly present opinion pieces we didn't have room for in the printed edition of UCNews," says the Rev. Gregg Brekke, UCNews editor. "I asked 16 people to contribute on a rotating basis – I'm pleased they all said ‘yes.' "

Brekke notes that anyone is welcome to write an opinion piece for UCNews. He is working on guidelines to facilitate these electronic submissions. "I'd like to see more unsolicited opinion articles – but it's really helpful if writers send us a query prior to writing the entire piece," he says. "Even though we're entirely online, we're still a journalistic publication. What may be appropriate for a blog entry doesn't necessarily make for a good opinion article."

The shift to online news has also brought a shift in "letters" submissions. "I used to receive 20 to 30 written or emailed letters per issue of UCNews," Brekke says. "That number has gone to virtually zero as people have begun using the ‘comments' sections of online articles to immediately voice their opinion on a topic."

"Again, where I had room for only six letters in the printed edition of UCNews – possibly two months after the original article was published – we now have unlimited commenting and an immediacy to the dialog," he says of the online article comments. "We're not limited by column inches or a print production deadline anymore. There is a real conversation happening and no ‘filter' of an editor."

Registered users of the UCC system, inclusive of Pilgrim Press and myUCC accounts, can add comments to an article. Safeguards are in place to prevent misconduct in comments including the ability for administrators and other readers to mark a comment as inappropriate.

"Self-regulation is a powerful tool that we've incorporated into our site design," says Dan Hazard, the UCC's web design and technical editor. "The community of UCC users helps to decide and dictate what is appropriate content and what is abusive."

"It's a new era for opinion and online dialog – it isn't just hyperbole to say the internet changed everything," says Brekke. "The democratization of journalism means that my job as editor is rapidly evolving. It's exciting and challenging. It's also comforting to know we're in the same boat as every other publication."

United Church of Christ News Service