We thought it would be useful to explain the roles of the different sections on the editorial and opinion pages and how we choose what to print here. Credit goes to Bernard Stein, former editor of The Riverdale Press, for suggesting this in a workshop we attended several years ago.

Editorial
What you usually read here in this space are the views of the newspaper as an institution. They are usually written by the editor, Jordan Moss, but publisher Dart Westphal occasionally writes, or collaborates with the editor, on editorials. It is the only place in the paper where we stake out a position on an issue.

Most of our editorials are about local issues, as that is the paper’s main focus, but occasionally they are about issues beyond the Bronx.

As a matter of policy, we do not endorse candidates for public office, since we believe that our readers are more than capable of deciding for themselves whom to vote for. Rather, we feel, it is the paper’s role to inform our readers to the greatest extent possible about the candidates’ campaigns and records and to provide information about how to register and vote.

Editorial Photo
This section began as Mess of the Month when the paper was a monthly. We still try to run a “Mess” photo once a month. Otherwise, we run a photo to illustrate one of our editorials or simply a picture of some delightful scene in the community.

Letters
This is the reader’s domain. As we often say, we love letters to the editor, regardless of their content, because they show that you’re reading the paper and you care enough about your community to share your opinion with your neighbors. We print virtually every one we get.

We consider the letters page one of the most important sections of the paper as everyone — whether they are a local resident or an elected official — has full and equal access to this critical community forum.

Another thing: With a full-time newspaper staff of only two, we obviously can’t write about everything. So, sometimes, a letter to the editor about an issue you care about is a quicker way to bring it to our readers’ attention than waiting for us to write a news article about it.

We don’t print anonymous letters. And, we don’t like letters where the author asks us to withhold his/her name. A healthy community dialogue cannot be enjoined from behind a curtain.

A couple of suggestions for letters: keep them to 300 words — the shorter the better. E-mail them if possible. Include your affiliation, if relevant to your letter, and your phone number so we can call you if necessary.

Op-Ed
Our op-ed section is another forum for reader viewpoints. There is a higher threshold for inclusion in this section. Op-ed articles are well-written, well-reasoned essays with a specific viewpoint. Readers can submit articles at any time, but you can also call us to see if we are interested in your particular topic (more often than not, we will be). Op-ed article subjects vary widely. They can be about a local issue or, as is the case in this issue, about a subject anywhere in the world.

We would love to get more frequent op-ed article submissions, so if you care deeply about something, get it down in writing and send it our way!

Op-ed articles should be no more than 600 words.