News-Record.com

Honestly, folks, John Robinson and I were not separated at birth.

I sometimes wonder whether we were, because our jobs and responsibilities are often confused, if not our identities. I get his calls and he gets mine. Same with mail and e-mail. If I had a nickel for every time someone calls me John or asks me to send a news reporter somewhere, I probably could afford a full tank of gas.

Don't blame John for the paper's endorsement of candidates; he has no voice in them. Don't blame me for what the paper runs on the front page or the local front. I have no more control of that than tomorrow's weather.

I know John and I look a lot alike: We're both tall, middle-aged guys with mustaches. But I am not him and he is not me. As you can plainly see here, John is slightly, uh, taller.

Beyond that, we both work for the News & Record, but in different areas.

The paper's news and editorial departments are distinctly separate operations. The news department has nothing to do with the paper's editorial stances and the editorial department has nothing to do with news coverage decisions. As we say on our corporate Web site, "That's the way we want it and the way we like it."

Both John and I report to the News & Record's publisher, Robin Saul. John is in charge of the news department and directs news coverage. I am in charge of the opinion pages. Call John if you have a question or concern about news coverage. Call me if you have a question about editorials or op-ed columns.

This is not to say John and I work in separate worlds. We talk often and we share information.We coordinate efforts where it's appropriate to do so. For instance, the news and editorial departments planned a town hall meeting on school discipline last fall; editorial writers consult news writers about stories they're working on. We invite news reporters to editorial board meetings with news makers and vice versa.

While there is a wall between our departments, John and I like to think there are plenty of doors and windows.

John and I don't always agree (though we agree much more more often than not) but we genuninely like each other. We also know each other pretty well; we've been News & Record colleagues for more than 18 years. I respect John's news judgment and have found him reasonable and open-minded. I also appreciate the initiative he's led to make the News & Record more innovative and interactive.

So don't blame him for anything I write and don't blame me for news coverage decisions.

A footnote to all this: Another newsroom colleague of mine, Betsi Robinson (who used to be an editorial writer in another life), is married to man named John Robinson.

But not the same John Robinson with whom I'm frequently confused. Her John Robinson doesn't work at the paper.

Got all that? There'll be a quiz later.