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Point/Counterpoint

 


Straight News vs. Commentary - - discuss.

Examples of straight news:

Baseball team wins contest 8-3

County investigates future school sites

Neighborhood leaders meet to discuss recycling initiative 

Ice cream taste test brings out over five hundred participants 

Commentary:

The meaning of fashion trend may be more sinister than it looks

Advocates for new landscaping mean to destroy natural habitats 

Is Candidate Mr. X thinking about taking your extra car?

Easy ways to improve your life with electricity (by BGE Exec)

I found the meaning of life and it’s not equality 

Can you see the difference? Please tell me that you can.

I am tearing my hair out almost daily over newspapers/media outlets who blur the lines between the two and therefore mislead their readers. Here’s a recent example from the Baltimore Banner:


Image from Baltimore Banner social media 


Moore seeks to upstage Trump, other Democrats with holiday patriotism speech, Pamela Wood

First off: Pamela Wood is a respected local journalist who covers Maryland politics. She did not write the headline.

The headline tells us that this piece is an op ed piece. It’s commentary. How do I know that? 

Moore seeks to upstage Trump, other Democrats

In a straight news article I should be able to say, “Oh, yeah? Prove it!” Upon reading the article I would find all the factual evidence to prove this thesis. 

This thesis is not provable. Nor does the article actually follow that line of thought.

Someone at the Banner must know this because they promoted the piece on Bluesky like this:


Screenshot from Banner post on Bluesky


Gov. Wes Moore plans to speak about patriotism in an address from the State House on Independence Day.

That’s straight news. It’s provable, quantifiable. 

Who: Governor Moore

What: speech

When: Independence Day 

Where: State House

Why: to address the theme of patriotism 

We are living in a time when we are bombarded with so much information, much of which is junk designed for clicks or thinly veiled promotional content. We need the folks who say they care about truth in journalism to be clear and consistent about what is factual news and what is opinion.

Unless Ms. Wood has a direct quote from the Governor saying, “I’m seeking to upstage Trump and other Democrats” then that title is, by necessity, commentary.

It’s an interpretation of something. It’s an injection of opinion.

Slapping those words on a straight news article does Ms. Wood a disservice and undermines the responsibility that the Banner has to the public.

It’s crucial that we use critical thinking skills when processing information. We also need to make sure that our children are learning those same skills. 

But, for heaven’s sake, can someone tell newspapers that they need to hold up their end of the bargain?


Village Green/Town² Comments 

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  1. Julia A. McCreadyJuly 7, 2026 at 6:07 AM

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