No matter what name we give it or how we judge it, a candidate's character is central to political reporting because it is central to a citizen's decision in voting.
Roger MuddFor decades, the journalistic norm had been that the private lives of public officials remained private unless that life impinged on public performance.
Roger MuddAnd what it depends on, of course, is whether the story itself is worth the ethical compromise it requires and whether the competition is onto the story.
Roger MuddJournalists, who are skeptical to begin with, simply do not like to be lied to or made fools of.
Roger Mudd