The publication of an article last June, written by US Congressman Tom Cotton in which he called for the use of his country's army to suppress popular protests, sparked widespread reactions and harsh criticism, and the New York Times had to write a note stating that the article did not live up to its standards The editorial staff should not be published, while the newspaper’s editor of opinion resigned due to the crisis.

Opinion page editor James Bennett initially defended the publication of the article, asserting that it was an "opinion article" and did not express the opinion of the newspaper, but he later added that his section was wrong to publish the article, and blamed an error in the editing process, while the newspaper attacked both President Donald Trump and Congressman author of the article.

Opinion Editor at @nytimes just walked out.

That's right, he quit over the excellent Op-Ed penned by our great Senator @TomCottonAR.

TRANSPARENCY!

The State of Arkansas is very proud of Tom.

The New York Times is Fake News !!!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2020

The incident and the reactions to it sparked a wide press and professional debate between those interested and working in the press in the United States and elsewhere, for the article was published on opinion pages and not on news pages, but academic Kevin Lerner, assistant professor of journalism at Marist College in America, believes that the public and readers do not distinguish between reports and news Among the articles published in the opinion pages, the newspaper was criticized as a whole and its news coverage in general, not just the author of the article.

The American academic raises an important discussion on the basis of the incident, and asks, "What is the difference between the news side and the opinion side in the news organization?", Indicating that "one of the principles of American journalism is that journalists working in news departments in newspapers remain completely independent from opinion departments, but the gap between The news and opinion are not clear to many readers, and journalists think it is. "

A 2018 survey initiated by the American Press Institute showed that many newspaper readers are confused in distinguishing between news and opinion articles, and this confusion can lead to distrust of the media themselves.

The moderators of the poll called on journalists to adopt transparent methods of building trust with readers, viewers and listeners.

Nearly a fifth of the journalists participating in the study said their news organizations should make the difference between news and opinion clearer, such as tagging opinion articles.

"American news consumers are accustomed to the idea of ​​objectivity in news, so the idea that opinions leak into a news report may lead readers to suspect that reporters have a political agenda, damaging their credibility and the credibility of their news organizations," says Lerner, according to his article for The Conversation. Conversation).

History of discrimination

The American academic says that long before newspapers became institutions that collect and publish news, the press was more like platforms for the personal expression of individuals or tools for their owners, and Benjamin Franklin - one of the most important and prominent founders of the United States of America - ran the Pennsylvania Gazette from 1729 to 1748, as a tool to spread his political and scientific ideas and even his daily notes.

In the early 19th century, newspapers were often outright biased, with many of them being funded directly by political parties.

Over the course of the 19th century, newspapers began to seek a wider audience, and with their growth and increasing circulation, some began to assert their independence from the political party or institution, and this coincided with the adoption of professional concepts and standards and the rise of journalism colleges and press institutions in the early 20th century.

However, newspaper owners never wanted to relinquish their influence on public opinion.

When the news became the main product, publishers created editorial pages, where they could continue to support their favorite politicians, or even advocate for issues like "pets."

Editorial boards are usually written for these pages, which are a staff of writers, and they often have individual areas of expertise and write editorial articles, then they are voted on in the board of directors that usually includes the publisher, and then they are published, usually without assigning them to a specific writer, as Official opinions of the newspaper.

But during most of the 20th century, newspapers reassured their readers and reporters that there was a "wall" between the news and opinion aspects of their published material, while publishers relied on the idea of ​​segregation to ensure that their news reports were fair and independent, and they believed that readers understood this idea.

Create an opinion page

With the expansion of opinion pages on the Internet, the New York Times was publishing 120 opinion articles a week at the time of James Bennett's resignation, according to the article of the American academic.

While the move to the Internet allowed the New York Times editorial page to increase its production dramatically, it also created a problem, as opinion pieces no longer look distinctly different from news stories and press reports.

With many readers coming to news sites from social media links, they may not notice the signs and clues that distinguish an article published by the Opinion Team, about news and press reports.

In addition, even readers who go to the home page of a newspaper are met with news and opinion stories presented at the same level, indicating the same importance.

Journalists share analyzes and opinions on social media platforms, which further confuse readers.

The newspaper's news sections also increasingly work to publish stories that contain a level of news analysis that ordinary readers may not be able to distinguish from what the New York Times classifies an opinion or article.

If news organizations continue to maintain a robust opinion section separate from their news reports and participate in public discussions, the author concludes with a better effort at distinguishing and building a clear wall for news consumers, separating news reports from opinion articles.