EDITORIAL: An opinion about current local or national issues researched and written by the newspaper's editorial writers after the topic has been discussed and a position formulated by members of The Tribune's editorial board. Editorials are unsigned because they do not represent the sole opinion of the writer, but the board's, and thus the newspaper's, position on an issue of public import. The Tribune publishes two editorials a day in the lefthand column of the editorial page under the heading of "Our View" in the print edition. Online, they appear in the Editorials sub-section of the Opinion page.

EDITORIAL BOARD: The seven-member board, headed by the publisher, which decides what issues the newspaper will offer an opinion on and what that opinion will be. A publisher is the chief executive officer of a newspaper responsible for all of its operations, including the news and editorial sections. The editorial board's day-to-day operation is supervised by the editorial and opinion editor on behalf of the publisher. The board also includes three editorial writers, the Public Forum editor and the editorial cartoonist.

EDITORIAL WRITER: Any member of the editorial board who researches and writes the editorials that represent the newspaper's position on a host of issues. The Tribune has three full-time editorial writers, including the deputy editorial-page editor. The editorial-page editor and, sometimes, the Public Forum editor, also write editorials.

EDITORIAL-PAGE EDITOR: The person appointed by the publisher to take responsibility for the newspaper's editorial pages and to supervise the editorial board.

OP-ED PAGE: During the week and on Saturdays, the page opposite the editorial page that usually contains a pair of nationally syndicated columns. The Sunday Opinion section contains several pages of op-eds written by local and national writers.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Brief opinions written and submitted to the newspaper by readers. They usually address timely issues and are accompanied by the writer's name and home town. They are published on the editorial page beneath the editorial cartoon in the print edition, except on Sundays when the letters appear on the second page of the Opinion section in print. Online, the letters are in the Public Forum sub-section of the Opinion page. The Tribune's letters to the editor appear under the heading of The Public Forum.

EDITORIAL CARTOON: A drawing, often including a caption, that appears on the editorial page and expresses the opinion of the cartoonist alone. The Tribune's in-house cartoonist is Pat Bagley; the paper also buys and publishes syndicated cartoons drawn by artists who are not Tribune employees.

COLUMN: An opinion piece that expresses the writer's own view and carries his or her name and often a picture. Many of these columns are written by nationally syndicated writers such Thomas Friedman and Cal Thomas and are purchased by the newspaper on contract. Some columns are written and signed by individual members of the editorial board and represent the writer's opinion alone. Three local columnists appear regularly in the Sunday Opinion section: They are Barb Guy, John Yewell and Paul Rolly. Rolly, a Tribune employee, also writes a regular column for the cover of the main local news section.

OP-ED ARTICLE: An opinion written by someone who does not work for the newspaper but has some experience and/or expertise in a subject. Sometimes these are solicited by the newspaper; others are not.