People still read newspapers! We present as proof the recent rumpus over "Allow a third casino," our Oct. 22 editorial in favor of Question 1 on the Nov. 7 Rhode Island ballot, which would have allowed (if court rulings permitted) the Narragansett Indian Tribe, partnering with Harrah's, to put up a casino in West Warwick. The proposal was resoundingly defeated.

There has been much speculation, including many colorful (though erroneous) conspiracy theories, about why the paper took its pro-casino position. That position, we emphasize, along with the other endorsements, was decided in Providence, and not in Dallas, at the headquarters of Belo Corp., which owns The Journal.

The editorial spoke for itself, but the prospect of more jobs for Rhode Islanders, especially for hard-pressed low-income people, was the overwhelming factor in the paper's stand.

Certainly the other side had its say before and after the editorial: Anti-casino letters and op-eds considerably outnumbered pro-casino pieces on these pages.

Meanwhile, we should emphasize that the news functions of the paper are separated by a high wall from those of the editorial pages. The executive editor, who runs the news pages, and the editorial-page editor, report separately to the publisher, who runs the company. Reporters and news editors report to the executive editor, the editorial writers to the editorial-page editor. And editorial-page endorsements do not affect news coverage.

And how do editorials come to be published? The editorial board of The Journal (and those of most other U.S. metropolitan newspapers) ultimately answers to the publisher. Editorial writers come up with ideas to write about, those ideas are discussed and, truth be told, most then get into print -- after editing, of course! (We agree more often than not.)

Members of the editorial board freely express their opinions to the publisher and their colleagues on the board, but the publisher, as the leader of the business called The Providence Journal Company, is the arbiter of what will appear in the editorials. That's because these unsigned essays are meant to represent the views of the institution.

And what about endorsements of candidates? These are frequently very difficult decisions, and require much humility. When endorsing a candidate, even more than, say, a ballot proposal, you're taking a gamble. Everyone is flawed, after all, and you can never tell for sure what people will do in office. Still, since we're always telling people what to do, it would be a dereliction of duty not to express an opinion on who we think will do the best job.

Editorial writing occurs in a collegial setting, but is not a democracy -- any more than any other business. What is infused by a democratic spirit is the very wide range of opinions that we strive to publish.