Inside the editorial page
Inside the editorial page

This blog is designed to give readers a glimpse of our editorial-page operation and how we make our decisions. We’ll let you know who we’re meeting with, what they’re telling us, what events and issues we’re looking at. We’ll also pass on information and observations that may not make our print editions. In addition to the editorial board members who post on this blog, the board includes Publisher David Zeeck, Executive Editor Karen Peterson and Managing Editor Dale Phelps.

Editorial board bloggers

Editorial page editor Patrick O’Callahan oversees the online and printed opinion sections of The News Tribune. He came to The News Tribune in 1987 and has worked at Washington newspapers since 1979. E-mail him at patrick.ocallahan@thenewstribune.com

Editorial writer Cheryl Tucker, in addition to writing commentary, manages the daily production of the editorial and op-ed pages and edits letters to the editor. She began her journalism career in 1974 at a Virginia newspaper and came to The News Tribune in 1978. E-mail her at cheryl.tucker@thenewstribune.com.

Editorial writer Kim Bradford manages the online opinion section of The News Tribune and writes commentary. She joined The News Tribune in 2005 after working 11 years at newspapers in Washington and Maryland. E-mail her at kim.bradford@thenewstribune.com.

Guest bloggers

Editor emeritus David Seago retired from The News Tribune in 2008 after 41 years at The News Tribune. E-mail him at sds99@harbornet.com.

Richard Davis’ column on state politics frequently runs in the print edition of The News Tribune. He was president of the Washington Research Council, a statewide think tank, from 1986 through 2006. Currently, as a principal with The Simeon Partnership, Inc. he coordinates the activities of the Washington Alliance for a Competitive Economy, a business coalition founded by the Research Council, the Association of Washington Business and the Washington Roundtable.

Karen Irwin of University Place, a mother of four, has been a frequent contributor to The News Tribune's print editions. She has also written for Seattle's Child, Puget Sound Parent, the Tacoma Weekly, the Fayetteville Observer Times and the political blog Right Meets Left. She graduated from California Lutheran University with a degree in English literature and is currently working toward a history degree.

Michael Allen, professor of history at the University of Washington Tacoma, was born and raised in Ellensburg. He served with the U.S. Marines in Vietnam from 1969-70. He has written five books, including the prize-winning "Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus' Great Discovery to the War on Terror," "Rodeo Cowboys in the North American Imagination" and "Western Rivermen, 1763-1861: Ohio and Mississippi Boatmen and the Myth of the Alligator Horse." Allen lives in Tacoma and Ellensburg and has three children.

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What's on the minds of Tacoma News Tribune editorial writers
Wednesday, March 5th, 2008
Posted by Cheryl Tucker @ 06:30:23 pm

If you're a Doonesbury fan, you've probably noticed that we've been running
"Doonesbury flashbacks" this week – reruns of earlier cartoons that appear when cartoonist Garry Trudeau is on vacation.

That's OK for a week here and there, but what do readers think about three months of reruns?

We received this message today from Trudeau's syndicate:

It has been 16 years since Garry Trudeau took an extended leave from Doonesbury. He has requested another break, well deserved in my mind, to work on other projects, travel and regenerate a few creative cells. This break will last twelve weeks (Sunday, March 23 to Monday, June 16). He looks forward to resuming the strip before the two major political conventions and the general election.

Garry will select the 12 weeks of Doonesbury substitutes, which will be automatically provided to you free of charge. We can also provide a different comic strip that is available in your territory as a substitute.

So what should we do? Run three months of reruns? A different comic strip? Or use the extra space to run a few more letters to the editor every day? (That's what I'd like to do; we receive far more letters than we are able to run.)

Let us know your thoughts.

Categories: How we work, Taking notice 12 comments

COMMENTS:

nbowling @ 19:47 - Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 Email
My initial reaction was to suggest "Boondocks", but I momentarily forgot Aaron McGruder is on a lengthy hiatus of his own.

More letters sounds appealing, but I feel like this presents a unique opportunity to the Trib. Is there a local artist, perhaps a SOTA student, someone... who could create a "Doonsesburyesque" strip with a Tacoma or Washington State focus? A daily thing would be almost impossible, but even it ran once per week it could supplant "The Nose" as the must read for local political dish.

Imagine what kind representative figure (i.e. Bush as Roman war helmet) the properly inspired artist could concoct to represent Mr. Eyman, Dr. Burgeson, et al.
tiggerme @ 08:05 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
I like the idea of a local artist, or several, using the space in a like manner. Once or twice a week run a local strip, run letters the rest of the time.
mjday @ 08:25 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
While Doonsbury has a dedicated following, I have never found it worth reading. It would be interesting to know just what percentage of NT readers actually follow it.
dseago @ 13:09 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008
Providing a local substitute for Doonesbury is not as easy as it sounds. Combining the necessary level of artistic ability with the requisite political wit is no small feat. There are probably more people clever enough to do local cartoons than there are people who can draw well enough to make them work.

That said, anyone who wants to take a whack at it can just send me some samples. In any case, we have the occasional Reader Sketchpad feature for local reader cartoons.

nineinchnachos @ 14:34 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
http://www.holisticforgeworks.com/
behold the local, unparalleled spectacle of TACOMIC!











RR Anderson FTW.
nineinchnachos @ 14:38 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
http://www.holisticforgeworks.com/



http://www.feedtacoma.com/events/event.php?e=1002


also, I cant help myself....

bikermama @ 16:19 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
While I love the letters to the editor, please don't deprive me of my daily Doonesbury fix, even if it is recycled. Don't all of us watch favorite reruns? Re-read favorite books? Re-watch favorite movies? Eat favorite foods again and again? Doonesbury is a comic/commentary worth savoring.
ensie @ 18:01 - Thursday, March 6th, 2008 Email
Why not run a local cartoon? Mr. RR Anderson has proved himself more than up to the task by the above quality of work!
thriceallamerican @ 09:30 - Friday, March 7th, 2008
http://www.thriceallamerican.com
Another vote for the Tacomic.
nineinchnachos @ 09:47 - Friday, March 7th, 2008 Email
http://www.holisticforgeworks.com/
Heck, don't take the word of a few local-yokels... please come to the Tacomic Party this sunday and see for yourselves.

I'll be giving a demonstration on the very latest modern political cartooning techniques, using desktop computers and even the intertubes
kevinfreitas @ 10:35 - Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 Email
http://www.feedtacoma.com/
Another Tacomic vote.
nineinchnachos @ 23:04 - Thursday, March 13th, 2008 Email
http://www.holisticforgeworks.com/
Jen Graves offers her opinions here:

http://i.feedtacoma.com/NineInchNachos/podcast-jen-graves-tacomic-illustrators/

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