By Frank Partsch

A civility project may sound like something new for The National Conference of Editorial Writers. But the NCEW commitment to high standards in the public discussion goes back many years.  Consider the first two items in NCEW�s Basic Statement of Principles, adopted in 1975:

1. The editorial writer should present facts honestly and fully.  It is dishonest to base an editorial on half-truth.  The writer should never knowingly mislead the reader, misrepresent a situation, or place any person in a false light.  No consequential error should go uncorrected.

2. The editorial writer should draw fair conclusions from the stated facts, based on the weight of evidence and upon the writer�s concept of the public good.

Now consider the nature of incivility in the public discussion. It is often based on falsehood or, at the very least, accusatory non sequitur.  Sometimes it consists of a nugget of fact, tortured by illogic or wrapped in a cloak of deceptive insinuation.  Incivility is typically unfair, and unfairness is typically uncivil.  Often, uncivil words are hurled from the protective anonymity of the Internet, thus abetted by the many institutions that provide an unrestricted forum for anonymous text.  (Separately, the public needs to understand that incivility is not to be equated with robust disagreement, spirited dissent or rigorous analysis.  In no way does a commitment to civility imply a softening of the editorial voice. )

NCEW is already armed with its commitments to honesty, logic and fairness in the presentation of opinion.   As its civility project takes shape, one available avenue of activity is the upholding and exercising of these commitments.  Opinion journalists are among society�s most effective vehicles for operating as a truth squad, for calling attention to illogic and misrepresentation in the democratic conversation, for identifying incivility and subjecting its perpetrators to righteous censure.  A reasonable goal would be a public square in which the politician who is tempted to incivility is dissuaded by a realistic fear of editorial condemnation.

Posted elsewhere on this site are other examples of what NCEW members can do to elevate the virtue of civility. Essays by the Roanoke  Times� Luanne Rife and Paul Hurley of the Visalia Times Delta in California  illustrate approaches that can bring about a genuine spirit of respect in a community discussion.  Such activity at the community level may not always be capable of replication in the national context, but surely it sets a good example of the respect that is desirable in the conduct of public affairs.

On the matter of Internet anonymity, the NCEW Basic Statement of Principles does not speak.  However, it does condemn the use of canned editorials, printed without identifying the source.  Separately, NCEW has been at the forefront of a campaign for transparency in government.  Moreover, many NCEW members require verifiable signatures on letters to the editor, and many respected journalistic institutions have strict policies restricting the use of unsourced material in news stories.  All this, without too much stretching, provides a philosophical  base that could support a recommendation that news and opinion organizations close their forums to opinion not accompanied by the identification of the originating writer or institution.

Of course most anonymous opinion, and most of the resulting anonymous incivility, occurs beyond the reach of traditional opinion journalism � NCEW professionals --  and its identifiable online emulators.  In this area, good example is the most available tool.  The goal must be to demonstrate, day in and day out, that the most useful and reliable form of public discussion in a democratic society is rooted in a commitment to honesty, logic, fairness and transparency. To the degree that this idea can be spread, incivility is discredited.

Frank Partsch is a former Masthead editor and was editorial page editor of The Omaha World-Herald for a quarter-century.