The answer is that our opinion pages should reflect many points of view. Indeed, we have tried during the past year to change the nature of our opinion pages. In the past, they consisted of editorials that reflected the views of the editorial board, letters from readers, and local or syndicated columns that tended to merely support or enhance the views of the editorials. That's one model for opinion pages. But we are changing that.
Editorials still express the views of the editorial board.
We still publish letters from readers. That approach is intended to provide you with a broad marketplace of ideas rather than a collection of columns that merely support the editorials. Or, in this case, loathe. As for Mr. Leo, my personal view is that his extreme right-wing rantings give conservatives a bad name. Mark Silverman is publisher and editor of The Detroit News.