The best op-eds make us question ourselves | Opinion

Ray Toothaker Calls for Thoughtful Opinion Writing in Maine’s Newspapers

Ray Toothaker, a retired business executive who once supplied publishing technology to newspapers across the United States, has taken a stand on how opinion columns should serve readers. Drawing on a career that spanned hot‑metal Linotype machines and the earliest days of digital production, Toothaker argues that the purpose of opinion pieces is not to stir outrage but to invite thoughtful debate.

Born and raised in Yarmouth, Maine, and now living in Sarasota, Florida, Toothaker began his professional life in the technology side of journalism. “I wasn’t a journalist,” he said, but he spent many years in some of the country’s most respected newsrooms—The Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and The Seattle Times, among others. In 1985, he was working in the newsroom of The Register in Santa Ana, California, when the paper’s photography staff earned a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the Los Angeles Olympics. “It was a moment of pure excitement,” Toothaker recalls. “Seeing how much that Pulitzer meant to the people in that newsroom is something I still remember.”

Throughout those years, Toothaker observed how opinion writers shaped public conversation. “I learned that a good columnist doesn’t just give his own viewpoint; he explains why he feels that way,” he said. “He gives facts and enough context so readers can see how he reached his conclusion.”

Toothaker has distilled his observations into a simple framework for opinion writing:

• State your position and your reasoning.
• Separate facts from speculation and label any speculation accordingly.
• Be honest about uncomfortable truths.
• Avoid dismissing people who hold different views.
• Make a clear case and let the reader decide whether it convinces them.

He explained that a columnist’s role is to provide a “thoughtful argument” that can lead the audience to question their own assumptions. “You don’t need ridicule or personal attacks to make a point,” Toothaker said. “If you can convince a skeptical reader with reasoned analysis, you’re doing your job.”

The call to higher standards comes at a time when the media landscape is changing rapidly. “Information travels instantly now, and social media often rewards outrage over substance,” he observed. “We’re quick to conflate a reaction with a real argument.” Toothaker stresses that, while the medium has evolved—from hot‑metal presses to global digital distribution—the core purpose of opinion writing remains: to give readers something worth thinking about.

The Maine press community, according to Toothaker, has a unique opportunity to uphold this ideal. “Here, in a smaller state, newspapers still serve as a community forum,” he said. “Columns, letters and comments are read by people who actually know each other and who can be affected by the issues being discussed.” He believes that Maine’s tradition of political independence should reflect in its opinion pages, where arguments are tested and assumptions challenged.

Toothaker also urges ordinary readers and writers to hold themselves to the same standards. “If you only read columns that agree with you, you won’t learn much,” he said. “You’ll want to read those who argue for positions you oppose, because that’s what makes you think.” He emphasized that the best opinion writers never tell readers what to think; they offer information and reasoning that readers can evaluate on their own.

Reflecting on the evolution of the industry, Toothaker noted that “hot metal gave way to computers,” and today a newspaper can reach “halfway around the world seconds after publication.” Yet, despite the technological leaps, the essential qualities of responsible opinion writing remain constant.

Toothaker’s message to Maine’s journalists and readers is clear: “Let’s keep our opinion pages as a genuine community forum where ideas are debated fairly, and where every columnist, whether a professional or a passionate citizen, is expected to provide thoughtful, evidence‑based arguments.”

For those looking to find more of Toothaker’s insights, his column continues to appear in Maine’s newspapers and can be accessed online.