A balancing act

When you turn to our Opinion page, one of the first things you're
likely to notice is a column on the left-hand side labeled "Our View."
The Cavalier Daily uses this space every day to express its official
viewpoint on a variety of issues ranging from Student Council
activities to University policies.
How does The Cavalier Daily determine what to discuss in this lead
editorial column? Our goal is to make the subject of this column
relevant to our community every day — which is why we rarely write
about national social or political issues that do not directly impact
the University community. Lead editorials often relate to something
that has recently been in the news, while sometimes the column addresses
a long-standing feature of our community that The Cavalier Daily
believes is worthy of discussion. (For an example of the latter, see
today's lead editorial about the role of school councils at the
University.)
Constructing the lead editorial is a complicated task. While the other
columns on a standard opinion page represent just one person's
opinion, the lead editorial reflects the viewpoint of The Cavalier
Daily as a whole. It would be impractical — if not impossible — to
poll each of our staff members every day on various topics being
considered for the lead editorial space; instead, The Cavalier Daily's
opinion is determined by the five members of The Cavalier Daily's
Managing Board. While majority approval of the Managing Board
technically is sufficient for a lead editorial to be published, the
board strives daily for full agreement on the positions outlined in
the lead editorial.
How, then, does this nuanced column find its way to print each day? The
Cavalier Daily's executive editor plays the most significant role in
the creation of the lead editorial. From proposing lead editorial
topics to conducting interviews relating to the selected topic to
writing the column, the executive editor is involved from start to
finish. The Managing Board gathers every evening to read the executive
editor's work aloud and to discuss any adjustments that need to be
made before the column appears before readers in print.
So the next time you read the lead editorial and wonder who's really
behind it — or who is crazy enough to support the viewpoint being
expressed — we hope you will recognize the amount of collaboration and
thought that goes into the creation of this daily portion of The
Cavalier Daily.