Should reporters vote?

I couldn't agree more. It's bullshit to say he doesn't have a preference. And if he were to go on record as to what his preference is, I do believe he could still go about his job of reporting objectively just as well as he did before - maybe even better, with all the cards on the table.

Totally with you, Steve. Pretending you don't care is arrogant, and only accentuates partisan suspicions. There's nothing wrong with partisanship. There is a BIG problem with claiming some higher ground through a false facade of objectivity. These people need to get over it!

Steve-

It's important for every single eligible American citizen to register and vote. That's the standard. At the same time, readers trust journalists to be objective because we cannot possibly be in more than one place at one time. As a reader, I expect the writer to have a bias, yet also expect best effort for balance. If that's too hard a bargain, the person who would be a journalist needs to look into a different occupation.

This is an ancient debate as far as the blogosphere's concerned. Traditional reporter-type (even if he is a youngish blogger) says that he doesn't vote in order to stay objective; wise-guy blogger calls him on it.

Have you folks ever *read* Cillizza or are you just going to condemn him blindly?

A few years ago I considered this dilemma. What I came up with is that reporters striving to be objective should be concerned with "priming." It's possible that the very act of choosing a candidate (whether as a private vote, or via a public statement) might subconsciously affect how a journalist reports. It might also affect how the journalist is treated by sources.

Remember also that, regardless of appeals to civic duty, there are a variety of reasons that half of eligible adults don't vote. Making that decision for ethical reasons shouldn't earn a condemnation.

I believe that journalist have as much of a right as anyone else to vote. I really do not find it very difficult to distinguish when a journalist is biased, and when they are just reporting the down right truth. Their are many folks who do not want to acknowledge the truth. My truth is based on my own investigation of the issues at hand, and not what the media portrays. There are ways to check the facts. Facts are simply facts, whether you agree or disagree. Everyone has an opinion, and it is up to each individual to research the facts before making a judgment. It is very hard to accept the truth, when conventionally we are programmed by the thoughts and feelings of those that we surround ourselves with. I guess I refer to this as brainwashing without trying, because people are simply suggesting their own truths, and many times their opinions. The power of suggestion can not be under rated. That is why we all would benefit by seeking out the facts, and then form our own opinion, rather than relying on someone else's word. We would be a more informed person, and less subject to bias if we know the truth,even if we still can not accept it.