Can A Reporter Have An Opinion?

CAN YOU ROOT for a cause and report on it at the same time?

That's the situation that Philadelphia Daily News reporter/ editor/ blogger Will Bunch finds himself. He has reported on the Occupy movement while at the same time, he serves as a fellow at a left leaning think tank. He's been tweeting his support for the Occupiers.

Is there anything wrong with that?

“I think my editors are really proud to have someone writing with a point of view," Bunch told FoxNews.com. "The Daily News is fairly unusual, we’re not that big on boundaries. The new editor, Larry Platt, encourages us to be more opinionated."

The newspaper has defended Bunch's actions. The paper's ombudsman, the conscience of the paper, wrote:

Bunch identifies himself as having "a progressive point of view." His writing for the Daily News, as well as his books and his work for Media Matters, confirms this. As a reader, I know where Bunch is coming from, just as I know where Sean Hannity is coming from. That's good enough for me.

The ombudsman is supposed to look at the paper's actions from an objective perspective. He answered my initial question in his column on Monday:

Can a reporter have opinions, strong ones, and still be credible on hard news? I believe that's possible, and know that Bunch knows the difference.

Do you agree?

Do you think the ombudsman would have taken Bunch's side if the politics were reversed?