In taking a break from moving (15 out of 10 don't recommend in August), I thought I'd get back to something that never fails to annoy some readers and letter-writers: fact-checking.

The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan is famous for a lot of things, but for me, he most endeared himself by proclaiming that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. I was reminded of that when my boss forwarded me a discussion from the NLA-Opinion group. Jim Boren, a longtime editor, political journalist and current executive director of the Fresno State Institute for Media and Public Trust, posted a plea from a non-member (as am I, though I just applied) who edits opinion in the Santa Cruz Lookout Local, noting that "she is facing criticism from activists who believe she applies excessive fact-checking to their op-eds, and she is seeking guidance."

Boren wrote, "My longstanding rule has been that writers are fully entitled to their opinions; however, any factual statements in their commentaries must be accurate and are subject to standard fact-checking procedures."

That's long been my rule as well. Slightly more leeway is given to columns since there's a big "opinion" tag stuck on them, but not much more than given to letters. (Correct attribution to sources of things being........

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