In summary
CALmatters launches new forum for commentaries hosting a wide-range of perspectives on major issues for the state.
For generations, newspaper commentary sections have been an important and influential forum for experts and advocates, policymakers and pundits to share their views on major issues. Most of our social challenges are not simple and the solutions are not obvious. A forum for commentary is an opportunity to hear directly from people involved, in their own words. And it is a complement to the journalism at CALmatters.
CALmatters is a nonpartisan, statewide news organization with a mission to raise public awareness about California issues. So it is an appropriate place to host a forum with a wide range of perspectives on the major issues for our state. We will seek out voices from across the political spectrum to help understand where we have common ground and where there are differences. We will include a diversity of voices representing California’s population, its geography, its young and its old. It will be a place to hear different sides of issues, as we will show with the propositions on the upcoming November ballot. And it will be a place to hear about ideas for how to solve California’s major problems from experts, advocates and decision makers.
As with all of our work at CALmatters, the commentary articles we post will be shared with more than 140 print, broadcast and digital media partners statewide. On our site, calmatters.org, the commentary articles will also be clearly marked to distinguish the individual perspectives from our journalism.
Senior editor Dan Morain will oversee the forum. He is an accomplished journalist and former editorial page editor at the Sacramento Bee. He is looking for pieces of fewer than 700 words that help explain important facets of our state. Please feel free to reach out to Dan with any suggestions and with your thoughts at dmorain@calmatters.org, 916.201.6281.
David Lesher
CEO/Editor, CALmatters