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O. Ricardo Pimentel
Editorial columnist
Full-bio »
Examples of Work
When Spanish viewed as affliction, we all suffer
Revolting sex we got; sexual revolution no
Racial lines still sharpest at the altar
Signals we send can reinforce gender myths
O. Ricardo Pimentel
o. ricardo pimentel
O. Ricardo Pimentel
editorial columnist
The Arizona Republic
Phoenix
What inspired you to become a journalist?
We always had a newspaper in the house. I soon noticed that people like me and my parents were mostly absent from the newspaper or there mostly as victims or suspects. But also because I think there is no more noble a profession than journalism. Think about it. You provide information people need to make good decisions, whether it's what time the movie is on to what does a candidate think on some particular issue. We are the public's watchdog, looking out for their interests in institutions that they don't have the time to monitor on their own. We inform, educate, entertain and lead. We help. There are not many professions in which you can change the world just by doing your job. This doesn't mean bringing an agenda to the job, unless accuracy, fairness and balance constitute an agenda.
How long did it take you to become a columnist?
I started as a Navy journalist in 1973. My first daily newspaper job was in 1980, as a reporter. I became a full-time columnist in 2000, though I had written columns periodically as both an executive editor and a managing editor. So, that's 28 years. Yikes.
How do you come up with fresh ideas and keep to a schedule of filing three times a week?
This is easy. I open up a newspaper or a magazine and there are always topics in need of attention. Watch a movie or television show and an idea will crop up. I actually talk to people and get ideas aplenty. I look to my own experiences and culture for much of my inspiration. The ideas are not the problem. It's finding time to write it all. I'm an author as well. I've written two books of fiction and am working on the third.
How much of your column is traditional reporting and how much is your own opinion?
Most of my columns require significant reporting. Sometimes it can be done over the Net. Often not. I have to talk to people. I read voluminously. Everything I can get my hands on. The opinions are the conclusions I draw.
Is it hard to write to a specific length?
No, not really. Writing has always been the easy part for me. The work is the reporting. Specific lengths exert a discipline that sharpens writing.
Is your column edited the same way a news story is?
Yes, mostly. They must be fair, accurate and balanced but am given wide leeway because I'm an opinion writer. Still, the facts must be solid or the opinions are mushy.
Do you hear a lot from readers? How do you handle criticism?
I hear an awful lot from readers and sometimes it is truly awful. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me to go back to Mexico, I'd be a rich man. The problem: I'm from California. Racial epithets are not uncommon. It just comes with the territory when you write on topics that some people find uncomfortable. I write on public policy with an emphasis on Latino affairs. For some reason, people find that uncomfortable and react accordingly. I get many positive calls as well, but you have to develop a thick skin for those other calls. Every columnist gets them. It's just that minority columnists get the racial or ethnic reaction mixed in, often even if our topics aren't on racial or ethnic matters. I just use it as inspiration.