We naturally take full, editorial responsibility for any journalistic material that appears online and every article goes through an editing process. But when it comes to comment or opinion pieces, we obviously want our columnists to express their personal opinions, even if their views are at odds with the ‘editorial line’ of the paper (as set out in the leader column each day).
Sometimes, we are aware that columnists will set out opinions which are controversial, divisive or provocative and that some people may be offended by as a result. It is naturally a matter of regret that anybody should be upset or offended by something they read in our titles. However, we would ultimately prefer that our writers occasionally provoke such a reaction rather than be bland and anodyne in what they say or fear expressing thoughts they believe to be important, however contentious.
We are always glad to hear feedback about our columnists, but please be aware that we support their right to express personal views which may not meet with universal agreement.