Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Westover brings both sides together, again

Craig Westover is doing for the gay marriage debate what he did for the school choice debate, namely bringing both sides to the table for a respectful discussion of the merits of the arguments, while avoiding the ad hominem attacks that often characterize other blogs, letters to the editor, op-ed columns, and political advertisements. He keeps both sides honest, from Nick Coleman to Katherine Kersten.

Westover presents his commentary, often in his Pioneer Press column, then invites everyone to comment, an invitation accepted by some very informed and opinionated individuals. The result is a moderated debate that sheds more light than most Internet message boards or debates conducted live and in person. Westover has built a new, two-way "broadband" bridge between his newspaper and its readers, showing how newspapers can evolve beyond peddling newsprint with yesterday's news by serving as venues for real-time public discourse.

Check out Craig's blog for a challenge to your assumptions and an insight into how the "other side" thinks -- regardless of which side you're on.

1 comment:

Craig Westover said...

Thanks for the kind words, Matt. I do think it's a great discussion. Intelligent people on both sides, and the peer pressure is keeping things civil.