I usually don't pick sides in a fight between a politician and another editorial page.

Rarer still do I find myself persuaded by the politician.

However, I was struck by the back-and-forth between state Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d'Alene, and the editorial writers at the Lewiston Tribune.

The Tribune has written two recent editorials slamming Nonini — the chairman of the House Education Committee and the sponsor of a controversial bill to outlaw coerced abortions.

Nonini wrote a rebuttal, published in Tuesday's Tribune. No news there — but the news is the rebuttal attacked not the editorial content, but the Tribune's modus operandi. Editorial Page Editor Jim Fisher and editorial writer Tom Henderson are "chicken," Nonini writes, because they didn't interview him before publication.

Says Nonini: "Mr. Fisher and Mr. Henderson are living examples of why newspapers are dying, and why newspapers are losing credibility. They read what somebody else writes, dish up a few cheap shots and present them as 'cutting-edge' editorials." You can't read the rebuttal at the Tribune's firewalled Web page, but you can click here for a link through Idaho Public Television's excellent roundup of Idaho opinions.

I e-mailed Fisher for his side of the story. Here's what he had to say:

"Interesting you're planning to write on this, Kevin. Me too, in my
Sunday column.

"Now, you can help me. Do you call or otherwise contact each person in
advance of criticism on your page?"

I knew I'd have to answer that question.

We try to interview elected officials before we write editorials criticizing them. It's not a courtesy call. It is a call to make sure we understand where an official is coming from before we write. The process often makes us rethink an editorial, to varying degrees. We'll often find ourselves saying an official has a good point or two or an objective that makes some sense — but maybe a bad idea of how to get something done. Sometimes we hear a case that's so convincing that we change our position.

I'd rather have the conversation before I write — not after, when I have written an editorial position on behalf of our editorial board (which includes my bosses).

Do I always have a chance to talk to someone before writing? No. Sometimes, an official clearly will not talk (Sen. Larry Craig comes to mind). Sometimes, especially in the time-sensitive nature of blogging, where I feel I need to write immediately. The case of state Rep. Curtis Bowers' essay about communist policies and mainstream politics falls into that category; what Bowers wrote was not in dispute, and I felt it important to put his comments (and his appointment to the Legislature) into timely context for readers.

The blog, I'd argue, is a different animal than the editorial. Here, I am expected to offer my personal in-the-moment opinion on the issues, not the collective opinion of a board.

We're all subject to instantaneous and sometimes harsh criticism — and that certainly goes for editorial writers/bloggers. Nonini reminds us all of something we often forget: No one likes being ripped without having a chance to explain themselves.