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The editorial board is a group of people, usually at a print publication, who dictate the tone and direction the publication's editorials will take.
Who's on the editorial board
At a newspaper, the editorial board usually consists of the publisher, editorial page editor, and editorial writers. Some newspapers include other personnel as well.
Editorial boards for magazines may include experts in the subject area that the magazine focuses on, and larger magazines may have several editorial boards grouped by subject. An executive editorial board may oversee these subject boards, and usually includes the executive editor and representatives from the subject focus boards.
Book publishers may also make use of editorial boards, using subject experts to select manuscripts.
What the editorial board does
Editorial boards meet on a regular basis to discuss the latest news and opinion trends and discuss what the newspaper should say on a range of issues. They will then decide who will write what editorials and for what day. When such an editorial appears in a newspaper, it is considered the institutional opinion of that newspaper.
At some newspapers, the editorial board will also review wire service and syndicated columns for inclusion on the editorial page or op-ed page.
Some newspapers, particularly small ones, do not have an editorial board, choosing instead to rely on the judgment of a single editorial page editor.
Book and magazine publishers will often use their editorial boards to review or select manuscripts or articles, and sometimes to check facts.
Role of Editorial Board and Political Campaigns
The editorial board controls the endorsement process for the newspaper during campaigns. Candidates will come before the editorial board for a group interview which can last for several hours, depending on the office. During the meeting, the board asks the candidate a range of questions on various issues and uses the meeting as a way to judge which candidate to endorse.
Candidates may routinely meet with editorial board early in their campaigns in order to provide their opinions to the newspaper's decision makers. This is a way to steer media coverage their way and to influence the final endorsement.
The op-ed page
Many newspapers also run an "op-ed" page, which means, literally, "opposite (of) editorial." This refers to the fact that this page is positioned opposite from the editorial page but does not mean the opinions on it are necessarily the opposite of the newspaper's editorial opinions.
This page includes columns from other newspapers, wire services and syndicated columnists. It may also include statements of opinions from local government and civic leaders or other freelance contributors.
Columns on this page may also be penned by the newspaper's own staff, but if bylined they do not necessarily represent the views of the newspaper's editorial board.
At many newspapers, both the editorial and op-ed pages may also include a mix of letters from readers.
See also
"Editorial board"