Members to vote on new name.

NCEW members will have the opportunity to vote on a name change for the organization at the Salt Lake City convention in September. Among the initial proposals: the Conference of Opinion Journalists and the Opinion Media Alliance.

The idea was advanced by the NCEW board of directors. The board's reasoning was explained in a message to the membership in May:

"As our organization has evolved over the years, our members have included not only newspaper editorial writers but also broadcast editorialists, columnists, op-ed editors and bloggers, among others--including journalists from other countries. While the National Conference of Editorial Writers certainly strives for relevancy in a shifting professional landscape, our proud and well-recognized name no longer accurately describes us."

Name changes have been discussed by the membership intermittently over the years, though rejected.

NCEW president Tom Waseleski has begun discussions with the op-ed editors association and the cartoonists association as possible attendees or partners in the next two NCEW conventions. He says: "If joining forces more formally with them or others is part of our future--and it's too early to say if it is--we could better position ourselves by updating our name and making it more inclusive of others who work in opinion."

Charles Rowe is the editorial page editor for the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. Email crowe@postandcourier.com

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