What makes a story worth the front page? And what stories should never get front page consideration?

Sometimes it seems everyone has an opinion. In recent weeks I've heard:

A story about the Clovis Unified dress code didn't belong out front. "This really ticked me off," said the caller, who pointed out there are famines, wars and a falling stock market to cover. He's OK with humor and human interest, but he's in a hurry, and wants to know what really matters quickly.

We shouldn't run stories about the alleged massacre at Haditha on the front page until we've seen all the evidence. "It always seems the press is too eager to condemn those who defend this country without waiting for facts to come out in total," an e-mailer wrote.

We've downplayed bad news about deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan in favor of local stories about the new juvenile hall and Fresno's get-tough position on cars parked long-term on city streets. "I would respectfully request that Fresno Bee management inform its readers what its policy is about where major news stories from the world outside of Fresno get located in the paper relative to local news," another reader wrote.

That's a fair request and one I've spent a lot of time thinking about in the five weeks since I read his e-mail.

In a nutshell, we don't really have policies, but we do have philosophies. Since I'm the one who makes the final call on the front page, I'm going to tell you what I think.

The front page is both a snapshot and a balancing act. It's a snapshot of the world that day, and as anybody who's ever taken a picture knows, a lot depends on the location of the photographer. Our front page is bound to look different from the New York Times' or The Washington Post's, because our focus is on Fresno and the Valley.

That's why stories about the new juvenile hall -- the county's largest capital project ever -- or the new parking rules belong on the front page. I try to make sure that of the four or five stories that appear on the front page most days, at least two are local, and I'm happy if even more local stories rise to the occasion.

It's a balancing act because there are so many factors, often contradictory, to consider. We look for stories that affect a lot of people, but that's not the only factor. If it were, every day the front page would be dominated by the AIDS crisis in Africa and violence in the Sudan.

Front page stories should be important, but to whom? Pretty much everyone can agree that the election of a president is important, for example. I submit it's important in a different way when local children go to the National Spelling Bee, or a man stricken with heart disease finds new purpose in teaching chess to farmworkers' kids. I like to read about decent people doing good things, and I don't think I'm alone in that.

We also sometimes choose stories that are exceptionally well written. And we look for the stories we call "talkers," those that people are talking about or will be once they read them.

This is where the Clovis Unified dress code story comes in. At first I thought it was insignificant, but it generated a spirited discussion in our news meeting, where we talk about the front page. I think it's the kind of issue that resonates with people who have children in any school district, no matter which side of the issue they're on.

Also, we look for stories that have strong photos or graphics. We want the front page to be visually appealing or striking.

And we want the page to be as interesting and vibrant as the community we live in.