It's difficult to trace the origins of the debate over whether newspaper editorial boards should endorse political candidates and, in the process, anger some percentage of their readers. It's by no means a new argument.
But as newspaper owners have worked to transform their business models in the face of seismic changes in news and information technology, endorsements have been in the cross hairs more frequently.
One case against them, in short, is that newspapers are in no position to tick off readers, and possibly advertisers, by picking and choosing political candidates, especially in these deeply divided times.
In recent years, several newspapers have gotten out of the endorsement game altogether, while others have confined their picks to a very small slate of local races. This year one of America's most respected daily papers, the Oregonian, of Portland, announced that it would no longer offer a presidential endorsement, explaining that the paper's "CNN-level view of the presidential race is similar to everyone else's."
The Star Tribune takes a different approach -- not because we take lightly the prospect of raising the ire of our readers or advertisers, but because we believe there's civic value in hosting an informed debate on issues that matter most to Minnesotans. That includes offering up our own opinions on key local, state and national elections, and publishing differing views in our letters and on our commentary page.
We've been publishing political endorsements, in one form or another, for more than 140 years. The Minneapolis Tribune endorsed Ulysses S. Grant for president in 1868 -- one year after the newspaper was founded.
Today the Editorial Board writes more than 400 editorials a year, offering researched opinions on a broad range of topics for print and online readers. Whether readers agree with us or not, most tell me that they expect the board to weigh in on major issues of the day, and endorsements are an important part of that mix.
Over the past several weeks, members of the Editorial Board have met with more than 60 candidates seeking endorsement in races we considered the most hotly contested or otherwise newsworthy.