Lake placid download.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/bono-original-421×530.jpg” alt=”" width=”175″ height=”219″ />This past week, Andrew Rosenthal, editor to the New York Times Op-Ed page announced the latest addition to his 2009 line up: Sir Bono. The activist-rock star (or perhaps rock star-activist?) will be blessing readers with his wisdom in 6 to 10 editorials throughout the coming year. And for the paper? Well, with readership declining, the Times can only hope Bono brings a fan or two with him.

So in the dying days of the industry, the Gray Lady calls upon a superstar to pump some blood into it’s pages. Even sweeter for the Times is Bono’s high pay demands of, well, nothing. Sounds great, right? I can’t help but think they are making a mistake.

The Times editorial page is one of the most competitive territories in journalism, a home to grounding contextualization and ground breaking ideas alike. Rosenthal just handed some of this prime real estate over to Bono, turning it into a giant soap box.

Bono’s opining will likely be a far cry from, say, Diddy’s rants, but a celebrity endorsement is a celebrity endorsement. A study by Washington State University found that “celebrity endorsed campaigns successfully lowered complacency and helped young people believe in their own impact on the political system.” Such an impact is undoubtedly commendable. But there is a caveat: “Celebrities have the power to motivate civic engagement regardless of their own grasp of the issues at hand.”

Now, Bono has always been quick to lend his celebrity status to worthwhile causes, and his editorial experience is not to be overlooked. (Remember that Vanity Fair issue? or the RED Independent? Both AIDs awareness tributes.) But his “grasp of the issues” seems to be, at times, as rose colored as his glasses.

David Carr put it kindly when he wrote of Bono’s altruism: “At a time when many people think they can consume their way to virtue, he is happy to accommodate.” He’s asking for change, but it’s money he’s looking for. While his causes may be more than worthwhile, he’s out for the sell—a romantic sell. “Africa is sexy and people need to know that,” he said.

I don’t turn to the Times to be swooned, but rather to be enlightened. Bono will write, and people will read: that’s great. His pop sensibility has taken him far, in music, philanthropy and the eyes of the Queen, but I can’t be certain it’s what is lacking in the editorial pages. An editorial is not free ad-space for a tub-thumper like Bono, but a platform for serious debate. In the end, his heart may be in the right place, but so is Young Jeezy’s, and I am not sure I want his wit on those pages either.