Columnists (was new TV spots)

[Dib9@aol.com]

Barnicle and Smith's columns both appeared on the news pages and where not considered simply opinion columnists.  They reported events and quotes as being real that apparently were not.  It is OK in a column to speculate or create a fictional scenario to illustrate a point, as long as that scenario is identified as fictional.  It is not OK to include events or quotes as factual when they are not.  That is what Barnicle and Smith were fired for doing.

-- Dan Billings, Bowdoinham, Maine