EXPLAINING HOW WE’LL MAKE ENDORSEMENTS

This week, The San Diego Union-tribune Editorial Board will begin publishing its endorsements in local, state and national races that will be decided — hopefully — in November. We wanted to provide an overview of our process so readers could understand how we arrived at our decisions.

The editorial board consists of Publisher and Editor Jeff Light, Editorial and Opinion Director Matthew T. Hall, Deputy Director Chris Reed, Community Opinion Editor Laura Castañeda, Reader Outreach Editor Andrew Kleske, and Opinion editors and producers Abby Hamblin and Kristy Totten. This year, Dr. Patrick Soon-shiong, the owner of the Union-tribune and the Los Angeles Times since 2018, will also weigh in on major issues.

While we have clear inclinations — in support of a wealth-creating free market, a safety net that protects the poor and the need for a healthy, diverse culture that values immigrants and different life experiences, for example — the U-T board doesn’t have a strong ideological tilt. That is reflected in the fact that for years, we have consistently endorsed candidates from both parties — able conservatives, moderates and liberals alike. In evaluating candidates for office, we look at their experience, background, character, demeanor, accomplishments, record of community service and policy stances, then as a board hash out our endorsements.

We consider it crucial to be a surrogate for the public in evaluating would-be elected leaders. Readers can see this for themselves by going to the website — sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/sandiego-election-2020-candidate-interviews — where last week we began posting our full Zoom interviews with candidates. This week, we will also begin publishing pro-con packages on ballot measures.

Our research won’t end there. If there are new developments, or if there is ambiguity or uncertainty about candidates’ positions or ballot initiatives, we’ll ask more questions. The goal is a level of familiarity that allows us to reach solidly based conclusions by early October when voting begins.

That may seem daunting, given that we need to weigh in so quickly on so many races — San Diego mayor, City Council, city attorney and school board, the county Board of Supervisors, the San Diego County Superior Court bench, state and federal lawmakers, and some 17 local and state ballot measures. But editorial boards, and journalists in general, understand their key role in providing readers with crucial knowledge about how their democracy is functioning. It is a privilege to play this role.

Even to longtime readers, newspapers can seem mysterious. The fact that editorials are unsigned baffles some. But editorials are based on group discussions and decisions, not the whims of the primary author. The fact that most newspapers seriously try to have a wall between the newsroom and the editorial board also surprises some. People contacted by board members often say, “I already gave the information to one of your reporters.”

The need for transparency in government is obvious. But providing transparency in how the editorial board makes decisions is also important and helpful. If readers have any questions at all for the board, please email matthew.hall@sduniontribune.com.