There are times in everyone’s career where you make the kind of mistake that results in a moment where you thought your boss was just going to self implode. It happens, but it’s the way you clean it up that matters. Turning such situations into learning experiences is a true test of character.

This last week was one of those weeks for both me and for the publication.

It is a double-edged sword to have your work on display for thousands to read and critique every week.

It keeps one accountable. It means sometimes making mistakes in a public forum and being called out on it. As one reader wrote on our Web comments welcoming me to the “hot seat,” “Congrats, and when it gets uncomfortable please remember that you asked for it!”

Larger publications have an ombudsman who specifically receives and investigates complaints, with corrections and retractions printed often.

The policy of the Gay & Lesbian Times for the past 21 years is the publication prints every letter to the editor that meets our guidelines, and every guest commentary, word for word, without any editing.

In fact, Publisher Michael Portantino boasts that he believes he’s the only publisher with such a policy. He’s stood in front of countless audiences and many unhappy readers stating just that.

Last issue, however, I made a serious error in judgment – which I deeply regret – while turning what was addressed as a letter to the editor into a guest commentary.

The first two paragraphs in last week’s guest commentary by Stepping Stone executive director John de Miranda were edited out because the letter was specifically addressed, “Publisher/Editor.” They read:

“I am writing to inform your readers of the information which was shared with the Times prior to the publication of your recent editorial Coming clean, which was critical of Stepping Stone.

When a Stepping Stone board member, the supervisor of Enya House and I met with Times staff prior to publication, we believed that it was important for you to have this information in order to arrive at a full understanding of the circumstances surrounding the recent suicide of the Enya House tenant. That you chose not to publish this information denies your readers the opportunity to arrive at their own conclusions about Stepping Stone’s response to this sad event.”

It was in the third paragraph that the guest commentary began addressing readers and members of the community, and so a judgment was made by me to begin at what I believed to be the beginning, which is where de Miranda addresses the concerns facing Stepping Stone. The commentary was accompanied by an “Editor’s note” that the version that ran was an “unedited excerpt” to account for the first two paragraphs’ omission.

On Friday morning, upon realizing this error, Portantino brought it to my attention. We immediately took action, posting the letter in its entirety on our Web site and have provided the two paragraphs for you here.

As the editor, it is my number one priority to ensure that every word on every page is authentic. I admit I made a mistake, albeit an honest one, and I have no problem owning up to that mistake. For that I humbly apologize to Mr. de Miranda, to Michael Portantino and for any tarnishing mark on this publication’s legacy.

That’s what leaders do.

— Randy Hope