A rose by any other name, the old saying goes, is still a rose. That may be true when it comes to flowers, but not when describing a weekly publisher's column of opinion. The piece above is correctly called a column. Many readers, in commenting on it, or writing a letter to the editor about it, frequently refer to this column as an editorial, or an article. It is neither. Why does it matter? Unlike a rose, the distinction between column, editorial, and article is very important in journalism parlance. An editorial is the collective opinion of an editorial board that reflects a position taken by the publication. It appears in a section clearly labeled as an editorial page. Credit Union Times doesn't have an editorial board or editorial page. An article is an unbiased, factual news report devoid of any opinions by the writer. It appears on a publication's news pages. The column above is definitely not news, nor does it represent the editorial stand of this publication. It is the opinion of one person, Mike Welch, publisher, no more, no less. From Volume 1, Number 1 in 1990, its purpose has been to stimulate thoughts and ideas on subjects of interest to readers including current events and controversial issues, especially those that all other CU publications shy away from for whatever reasons. And to encourage reader feedback and involvement. That's what columns do. Roses you just look at. – [email protected]