Over the past few months, we’ve received the odd complaint about opinions expressed in The Last Word. When this is an honest disagreement, this is ideal and it usually means the author has done his or her job - provoke thought.

However it is also often mistaken for a news story. The Last Word is allowed to contain slant, just as the editorial can take sides in a debate, while we attempt to keep that out of our other coverage.

The Last Word is an opinion column. It is an opportunity for Fitzhugh journalists to break the shackles of straight reporting and state what they really think about an issue. News stories follow the false construct of objectivity as best as possible, however the Last Word, when done properly, allows the author to tell a yarn or make an argument. It is subjective by its very nature.

It’s difficult for media consumers nowadays to tell the difference between fact and opinion. Large television networks and the emergence of blogs change the way we consume the news. I have many friends who proudly get their news from comedians Jon Stewart or Rick Mercer, where it comes ready-made with a punchline. I’ll admit I follow my Habs through blog postings rather than straight game reports. The language is more colourful, and the emotion comes through readily, usually at the sacrifice of the writing. It’s junk food, but I don’t pretend it is the gospel on the game.

We need to re-think where our news is coming from, what are the social and economic interests tied to a story. Readers train themselves to pick up slants and telling signs. Journalists do our best to avoid these trappings, keeping much of ourselves out of the paper as possible. There is no perfect method, but we are more than stenographers.

So once in a while, we use columns to vent - to speak our mind about a subject.

With opinion pieces, unfortunately, big, bold and brash has become the order of the day, as many pundits have become caricatures as opposed to commentators. They strive for the outrageous, taking the term political actor to the level of ham. This degrades discourse, as shouting matches replace debate. Grand standing replaces wit, and the satirists are usually left looking the most respectable.

We try to avoid the blowhard approach in The Last Word, but if we elicit a response, we know we’ve done our job. Hopefully, we’ll keep doing so.