That leads to exquisite writing by Fred Grimm, for example. ''My metaphors, lately, curl up in doorways like drunken winos,'' he wrote in one recently column. Wow.

But that also leads to occasional glaring and unfair offenses that editors should not be letting pass anywhere on the news pages. In another column, Grimm described the ''hissing fit'' of the Madagascar hissing cockroach as ``sort of like the crowd at a Sarah Palin campaign rally. And almost as creepy.''

Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal told me that he thinks readers are sophisticated enough to distinguish between news stories and columns, which are clearly marked as opinion. One doesn't taint the other, he said. Maybe. But no one knows for certain, especially when the range of columnists is limited. As I have written many times before, there is no identifiably conservative Miami Herald columnist in the news and opinion pages on domestic issues, as much as the current ones insist they are nonpartisan.

''When over 60 percent of voters support maintaining marriage as a bond between a man and a woman, how is it that The Herald can't even print one rational analysis of the case for Amendment 2,'' wrote Jerome Hurtak of Miami Shores. There were some minor exceptions, but his general point is valid, as much as I personally agree that gays should have the right to marry.

Gyllenhaal says he is closing in on hiring a conservative columnist.

WHERE WRITERS STAND

So, what do the big four say for themselves? I think that they usually, though not always, achieve -- or at least try to achieve -- what they aim to, but readers can judge:

Marquez began writing editorials and op-ed columns for The Orlando Sentinel 20 years ago. Then several years ago, her editors there asked her to do a metro-page column with the aforementioned ``attitude.''

''I noticed instantly that the readership was broader on metro -- younger, scrappier versus op-ed, which tends to be older, more retirees, and the power structure [elected officials] who weigh in,'' she said.

''I rarely write off the top of my head,'' she added. ''I report my columns, either by interviewing officials and others, or reading authoritative reports, or both. Sometimes I try to be light, offer humor,'' she said. Other times, ``I write with an edge and an attitude, but also with a heart.''

``I'm not one to be pigeon-holed by readers, because I tend to stick up for fairness -- I don't align myself with one political party or another. I praise when I believe they do good, and condemn when I believe they've misbehaved and squandered the public trust. I don't skew way to the left or the right, but that doesn't mean that I deliver namby-pamby columns that don't come down on one side or another, with arguments that are researched.''

Fred Grimm, in his inimical pithy style, wrote me about why he should not be moved to the opinion pages: ``I'd hate the notion of being relegated to wither among you thumb-suckers. Mine is a visceral reaction to the news. I'm a part of the news operation. My best columns are derived from the work of city desk reporters. My job is to illuminate their work. And provide something less from the brain than from the gut.''

As for the critics, he wrote: ``All this discussion about too liberal or too conservative, to me, is so much empty carping coming from folks who spend too much time with AM radio and cable television.''

Join the discussion

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.repliedToText@

@Nyx.replyAnswerText@

Reply to this Comment @Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@