Caucusing over ethics

Now this is interesting. We know that journalists should stay away from political activism. But we also know that it's all right to vote. (Although Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr. famously thinks otherwise.) But there's a gray area, and Denver Post editor Greg Moore (left; former managing editor of the Boston Globe, by the way) is trying to deal with it.

Moore wants to limit and discourage Post staff members from participating in the Feb. 5 Colorado caucuses without banning it completely. (Although certain categories of employees, most prominently those who cover politics, will be banned.) The theory: caucuses are not like primaries. You vote publicly, in front of other people, and therefore identify yourself as partisan.

In a memo to the staff, Moore writes:

I am trying my best to be sensitive to individual rights while at the same time protecting the credibility of the paper and our ability to continue to cover politics as best and as fair as possible.

I'd like to spend a few moments talking about this at the beginning of class on Thursday, so please follow the link and read Moore's memo.

Update: At the Denver Post's competitor, the Rocky Mountain News, editor John Temple just says no.