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.

Given what the media have put the country through this past decade, it must come as a surprise to most Americans that the press has a code of ethics.

The written tone and the spoken tone change and the reporters' disbelief in the veracity of the government spreads to the readers and the viewers.

In exchange for power, influence, command and a place in history, a president gives up the bulk of his privacy.

But the time has come for journalists to acknowledge that a zone of privacy does exist.

Most journalists now believe that a person's privacy zone gets smaller and smaller as the person becomes more and more powerful.

The relationship between press and politician - protected by the Constitution and designed to be happily adversarial - becomes sour, raw and confrontational.

And 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.

Journalists, who are skeptical to begin with, simply do not like to be lied to or made fools of.

The ethics of editorial judgement, however, began to go though a sea change during the late 1970s and 80s when the Carter and Reagan Administrations de-regulated the television industry.

The networks found themselves having to compete for an increasingly Balkanized audience.

We follow the codes not because they bring gain, but because we loathe the people we would otherwise become.

Drop all those assumptions that success is built on success. Add a very little value to yourself and it will amaze you how you will see people appreciate that value!

Never again!" commanded his will. "Again! Tomorrow!" begged his heart.

Aspects are within us and who seems most kingly is king.

A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.

If you're a soldier or marine in an Arab country, Islam is the solution. And you need to show respect.

When people come in the door and they have something, discovering and exploring the character is a real joy.

A true understanding of who God is, who we are, and the missionary task should drive us to our knees and keep us there.

This is what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination.