So, is it news, opinion or advertising?

The caller was insistent. “I’d like your address so that I can send you a news story.”

Confused, I asked him to clarify: “Are you sure you mean a news story? We don’t generally accept news stories contributed by the public,” I explained.

Oh, he was sure it was a news story. So, I asked him to tell me more. And, after hearing him out, I said, “Sir, it sounds like you’re describing an opinion piece, not a news story.”

He responded: “Story, opinion column, classified ad – whatever you call it.”

If you’re shaking your head at this point, then you’re among the readers who understand the very important differences between those three categories. If you’re wondering what I mean, you’re not alone.

A 2016 national survey of college instructors conducted by ACT, the nonprofit that administers a widely used college-readiness exam, found only 18 percent rated their first-year students as well prepared to distinguish “among fact, opinion and reasoned judgment.”

Put another way, 4 out of 5 instructors believed their incoming college students couldn’t reliably tell the difference between information that conveyed facts and information designed to skew their opinions. Furthermore, when an author used sources to support her or his position, only 23 percent of instructors believed their students were able to evaluate the merits of such evidence.

Hardly a day passes without someone calling or writing to us to complain that we are biased. Often, they are angered about something published on our opinion page – a column or letter that they are mistaking for a “news story.” Sometimes, I’ll hear from someone wanting to request a news article, when they mean an advertisement. Here are some general differences among the three:

News – News articles are built on facts. They answer basic questions such as what, who, where, when, why and how. As journalists who adhere to industry principles such as the American Society of Newspaper Editors’ Canons of Journalism and the American Press Association’s Principles of Journalism, we evaluate our coverage for objectivity, independence, accuracy and fairness. News stories should inform, with facts. They may include the opinions of experts, participants or witnesses, but any such views are attributed to the source, and we aim to find balance with other viewpoints.

Sun-Star news stories are reported by our team of staff reporters, reporters from our sister publications, or reporters from organizations such as The Associated Press, The New York Times and others that also meet the high standards of impartiality and accuracy. As managing editor, I oversee the Sun-Star’s news report. I can be reached at mmorgante@mercedsunstar.com.

Opinion – Opinion pieces are labeled as either opinion or commentary. Most often, they appear on our daily opinion page. They are built differently than news articles: They are designed to persuade. The authors of pieces appearing in our opinion section can be editors from within our parent company, McClatchy; from community leaders; from syndicated opinion columnists; and from members of the public. Items appearing on the opinion page do not reflect the personal viewpoints of our staff. The “Our View” column is written by editors within McClatchy and is crafted independently from the newsroom. The Sun-Star’s opinion page editor is Mike Dunbar, who can be reached at mdunbar@mercedsunstar.com.

Advertising – The third branch of our operation is advertising. There is a long-standing tradition in American journalism that keeps advertising separate from the newsroom. Without that “wall,” our ability as journalists to cover news based on newsworthiness would be compromised. In order for the newsroom to be independent, objective and fair, our work as journalists does not intersect with the work of the Sun-Star’s advertising team.

Advertising is content that is sponsored. That is, the contents of advertising are controlled by the parties who pay for the advertisement. As such, it is fundamentally different from news. Advertising content published in the Sun-Star has an appearance distinct from news, or, in cases where there may be confusion, it is labeled as an advertisement. Our advertising department is led by Rob Peres at rperes@mercedsunstar.com.

Let’s go back to the caller. He was a local man who wanted to engage the Sun-Star in order to share his views. That’s great! That’s exactly what our opinion page is for – giving members of our community a place to discuss issues that matter to them, to civilly debate topics, to put forth arguments about current events, policies and other matters essential to the community.

The gentleman, however, sent me a piece structured as a news story, one in which he was quoting himself as a source. I explained we couldn’t use his submission, but I encouraged him to look to our opinion page to understand how to reshape his piece as a letter to the editor or a column.

The role of a daily newspaper such as the Sun-Star is to inform our community. That information can come in many different forms. Sometimes, it is news. Sometimes, it is civil debate about important issues facing our citizens. Sometimes, it is advertising that serves the important function of telling readers about opportunities in the business sector.

I realize that, to many readers, the Sun-Star is one big thing. I hope, by sharing information about the different roles of our publication and how it functions, I am helping our community members understand how to better use this resource that exists to keep us all informed and engaged.

I welcome your thoughts and questions.

This story was originally published February 6, 2017 at 3:55 PM with the headline "So, is it news, opinion or advertising?."