I mean, the Guardian site is quite good, isn't it? I don't think it tries to be mendacious. In fact I think quite often it succeeds in delivering perspicacious commentary to its readers.

None of the other newspaper sites or online magazines I can think of offhand have a stated policy of obfuscation, though occasionally some of them may seem to.

But still there's something compelling about Will's dedication to the idea of honesty and forthrightness which carries me into agreement with him, even in the face of often-hostile opposition (Will is fairly frequently offered fights). He soldiers on even when the idea flies so much in the face of overwhelming evidence that the very use of the simplest word like 'table' or 'chair' can be misleading. Look at the two examples I've just picked. Are they nouns or verbs? If 'table' is a noun, what did I mean when I used it this time round? Wood and nails? Or an Excel spreadsheet and a bunch of numbers?

Enough of the philosophy lecture, for which I apologise. I'm no philosopher anyway. I just wanted to put across to you the roots of my unease. It was Will, incidentally, who relieved it as well, when I suggested I might write this month's front-page piece.

He asked me if I would include this quote from the Bible's Proverbs in my piece: "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful." How could I pretend to be expressing my honest opinion, I thought, if I'm not even using my own words?

If the words themselves can be so misleading on their own, however, this is far from a valid question. Besides which, which words are my words? It's rather like claiming bits of the air as one's own.

Since our stated aims are faithful reportage and honest critique, the question that does count is: is the Honest Dog your friend? To which I can only answer that, unlike the newspaper and journal sites I mentioned above, we don't have any agenda except honesty. It's a kind of circular, self-fulfilling argument. We're not against you; we're not going to be for you, either (even if you give us freebies, though freebies should be sent to my address, not Will's house). But neither is a desperate clinging to any kind of political, religious or artistic agenda going to cloud what we write. At least, we hope not.

We do have a screaming lefty writing for us. Also, we have a happily right-wing doctor writing for us. Trust us, we're a doctor, and we're not a doctor. There again, Will probably disagrees with me anyway. I hope he does. I like a good fight with Will.

Chris Smith
Co-Editor with Will Brown, HonestDog.com