Kenn Finkel is a retired Miami Herald journalist, and so his concern as a reader carried informed weight when he wrote me to raise alarms about the position of the new opinion editor, Myriam Marquez.

Like her predecessor, Joe Oglesby, she reports to publisher David Landsberg. But what is new is that she also reports to Executive Editor Anders Gyllenhaal. That means that the newsroom editor now has a say over the paper's opinion writers. Will the two operations, once supposedly separated by a ``Chinese wall,'' become so mixed that the newspaper's editorial opinions will influence the news coverage?

``That dual-boss system is a guaranteed destroyer of credibility,'' Finkel wrote. ``Let's face it, credibility is the one thing that newspapers have going for them in the fight against the other so-called news media, television and the Internet. And now, apparently, The Herald is giving up that one advantage.''

Finkel, who worked on and off for The Herald for 33 years, raises issues that have as much to do with perception as reality. Upon investigating how the relationship actually works, I find that the structure, at least so far, still safeguards the independence and objectivity of the news. But that could change over time and with different people, and so I think the current structure is inadvisable. There never, however, will be a perfect system.

In the interest of transparency, you should know that I am edited by Marquez, paid by Gyllenhaal and report to Landsberg. But we all agree that I pick my subjects, and my opinions are my own; not one column has ever been changed for content. I work under a contract -- I am not a staffer -- which gives me extra independence. The paper's self-interest is an added guarantee: Everyone understands that this column will only help attract readers to the newspaper if it is genuinely independent, and you believe it is so.

That same self-interest applies to the independence of the news operation. In the cynicism of the age, some readers refuse to believe that, which is one reason the appearance is as important as the fact. And for all the human mistakes that reporters and editors make, that independence is a fact.

Under the current structure, Gyllenhaal essentially has operational responsibility over the opinion department and does not get involved in daily editorials, both he and Marquez say, and from what I have been able to witness. The change was made, they say, to ensure logistical support as Marquez and her staff try to get more ambitious and interactive online but with fewer people. The editorial board, for example, which meets daily and decides on the newspaper's positions on issues, has shrunk from nearly a dozen people a decade ago to five today. That means they also need help from the much larger news staff on chores such as copy-editing when someone is out. A combined budget and operation is also easier to manage.

``Anders has not attended one editorial board meeting yet,'' Marquez said.

``The key is that leadership of the opinion section has to be strong and clear and that [leadership] comes from the editorial page editor,'' Gyllenhaal told me. He said he has no intention of telling Marquez which candidates to endorse or positions to take. ``My focus is on coverage and the direction the paper is going,'' he said.

Plus, she still reports to publisher Landsberg, who can weigh in on issues. ``I occasionally offer suggestions to the editorial board, but I never inject my personal opinion during board deliberations and writing,'' Landsberg told me. ``I do read opinion pieces before publication, but rarely suggest changes beyond an alternative synonym here and there.''

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@