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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This editorial will appear in Wednesday's print edition:
U.S. Supreme Court: Not ready for prime time?
Fourteen years ago, the Supreme Court of Washington heard arguments in a death penalty case, live on TVW. It has never looked back.
Today, all of its court proceedings are broadcast and archived online (tvw.org) for future viewing – providing a valuable resource for teachers, attorneys, historians and everyday citizens interested in how the justice system works.
The U.S. Supreme Court is a different story. Despite individual justices proclaiming in their confirmation hearings that they’d have no problem with cameras in the courtroom, it hasn’t happened yet. But an opportunity has arisen. The strongest opponent of televising – Justice David “over my dead body” Souter – is retiring, and senators questioning nominee Sonia Sotomayor during the confirmation process should get her opinion of televising on the record.
There’s good reason to allow cameras in the Supreme Court. How much more connected Americans would feel to the highest court in the land if they could listen to attorneys argue cases that are likely to have ramifications throughout society. Think of the insight citizens could get into how decisions are made by listening to the questions posed by justices – and the tone used when posing them.
Some justices have argued that having cameras in the courtroom would alter the proceedings, that some of their brethren might ham it up. There’s always that chance, of course (and you know who you are, Scalia). But the tradeoff – greater transparency – would be well worth it.
In this state, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander says the cameras are not disruptive and he doesn’t sense they affect justices’ and attorneys’ behavior.
The weakest argument made against televising is the security issue – that justices would be more vulnerable to attack because their faces would become so well known.
Anyone interested in attacking Supreme Court justices already has plenty of ways to find out what they look like. Google is available to terrorists, too.
C-SPAN, the public service channel that airs live coverage of Congress and selected government-related events, is eager to televise the U.S. Supreme Court’s proceedings. At the very least, the justices should give it a chance. If it doesn’t work out, they can always discontinue coverage.
After all, they do know how to reverse a previous decision.
