Endorse? Of course, or not necessarily.

With the cacophony of other easily accessible opinion voices, editorial pages increasingly have come into the crosshairs of critics, who wonder who died and made us monarchs of opinion. The age-old practice of endorsing political candidates--or recommending them, in the parlance in some shops--especially provides a high-profile often controversial target for bloggers and even some journalists in our own newsrooms.

In this issue, we're talking about endorsements--why they matter and how to make them count even more.

Journalists tend to be generalists, and they also have the training in the craft and ethics to care about accuracy and fairness--something sometimes missing in the preaching-to-the-choir nature, whether conservative or liberal, of political blogs.

Picking up on public criticism of endorsements, journalism professor Paul Harris sought out NCEW to tell us to buck up. He writes endorsements are an important force in communities, still providing more value over other less traditional opinion forums. Immediate past president J.R. Labbe points out endorsements in high-profile races that bring our editors the most heat are, on balance, probably less important or influential than those they do about lower-profile races for school board or judges.

The Grand Forks Herald in North Dakota has taken the radical step of no longer endorsing political candidates. Editor Tom Dennis points out the Herald editorial board still interviews candidates. But instead of picking one over the other, the Herald runs transcripts of the interviews.

Stephen Wright at the San lose Mercury News celebrates the fact that endorsements led his newspaper's website in hits several times before the election. That's right: The editorial page led the website in hits. Why? Endorsements, proving readers want them. Check out his ideas for making sure your investment in time and effort pays off in the most effective way for readers.

This is my first issue as editor of The Masthead, taking over for Doug MacEachern, who brought NCEW eight great issues packed with articles designed to prompt soul-searching about our craft in the face of budget cuts and ownership shakeups. That theme will continue to be a major focus of these pages, reflecting the priorities of our members and the NCEW board.

Along those lines, Peter Kohler, chairman of the newly reconstituted New Media Committee, shares his view of the changes and how NCEW can help its members. The 2007 convention chair Miriam Pepper offers ideas to sell your publisher on why you need to travel to Kansas City this year. Among the highlights will be a boot camp for how to produce online elements for your editorial pages.

Putting together this first issue has been rewarding, but this is your magazine, not mine. Please shoot me an e-mail and let me know what is on your mind and what else you would like explored in these pages.