I think my photo may have to come down from this page if I want anyone other than Ryan Holeywell and my mother to read this blog. But enough about me. This isn’t an exercise in egotism; nor is it a place where I lay bare my innermost feelings or tell you what music I’m listening to (OK, Death Cab for Cutie).

This is an experiment in transparency. Hatchet readers pick up the paper and visit our Web site often without knowing why we do things the way we do. In making editorial decisions, staffers have debates (which can sometimes get heated), abide by written policies and look to what previous editors have done. The newspaper’s editorial decision-making process will be partly illuminated in this blog, which will basically be an extension of the “Inside our pages” column that appears once in a while in the opinions section.

I look forward to fielding questions from this blog’s readers – all five of you. I will try to make short, colloquial posts every two or three days, or whenever a controversial issue comes up, or whenever I’m feeling particularly lonely.

Have a good Thursday.

Michael Barnett