The Bee's conservative critics and its staff agree: This newspaper has an agenda.

We just don't agree on the definition of that agenda.

Our journalists would emphasize journalistic integrity and public service (part of The Bee's company mission statement). Our agenda, we'd say, is to serve our community with independent reporting that informs people and engages them in public life.

Our critics would scoff at that, probably, and instead say we have a liberal political agenda aimed at excluding or mistreating those with conservative views.

Some have gotten in touch lately, inspired by our change to a new format for the paper, to say that if only The Bee were more conservative, it would have more readers and better financial prospects.

When I point out that newspapers whose editorial pages tilt conservative are also struggling for advertising revenue, my conservative fans accuse me of being close-minded.

It's an old and endless argument, which does not make it less important. Those of us who believe the core of journalism is truth-telling also recognize that assumptions and biases can get in the way of that quest.

I've responded to recent complaints this way: If you see instances of personal opinion or a political agenda in our news coverage, mark up the paper and mail it to me at 2100 Q St., Sacramento, CA 95816. You also may send e-mail.

News reporting should be independent of any special interest or faction, and fairness and accuracy are ideals held dear by good journalists. That's why many of us reject accusations that we're taking sides with Democrats or labor unions or anti-union activists: That's not what we're about.

I've also pointed out that editorial pages are for opinions, and their value is in promoting discussion and debate. So the expression of political opinion on editorial pages does not bias news coverage.

Newspapers have some inherent biases, and here are a few I see:

• A bias toward the unusual and not the norm: News is, after all, what's new and different. That's why the story of most people paying their mortgages isn't news and why reports of record foreclosures is. Some see this as a bias toward bad news, but I view it as a bias toward the excptional over the ordinary. Much of what stands out is bad news – crime, tragedy and financial collapse – and this bias can become a formula.

• A bias toward our own community's interests: The Bee looks at news with its feet planted in the Sacramento region. This doesn't mean we're provincial, as our readers and their interests connect all over the state and the world. We edit our paper and Web site, however, for people here.

• A bias toward the familiar: Newspapers used to ignore wide swaths of their communities; critics fault us for talking only to "the usual suspects," and we fall short when we dismiss or overlook people and stories that don't seem to jibe with what we already know. I think this bias, more than any political leaning, often keeps mainstream news organizations from recognizing change and reporting accurately.

Good journalism requires us to recognize biases and blind spots and to push ourselves to go deeper in our reporting.

Reader complaints are part of the equation, though I doubt we'll ever convince our critics that The Bee can be fair.

I expect increased grumbling in an election year. Our response won't be a fake "balance" to satisfy the headline counters. Instead, we'll aim for fair, accurate reporting offered in context and as much depth as we can offer.

I think that's a pretty good agenda.

Reach The Bee's editor, Melanie Sill, at (916) 321-1002.