Guess I was lucky to have cut my teeth as a member of the fourth estate working for editors who mandated ethical behavior and fair, honest reporting. The mantra was avoid conflict of interests and adhere to sound journalistic principles of impartiality and honesty. As reporters, we whole-hardheartedly embraced these unwritten codes of conduct -- never compromising and relenting to accepting freebies and then reporting in an unbiased way the actions of a government, a company or individuals who was trying to influence their preferred slant based on gifts or things of value. It was a golden rule of objectivity, and the bedrock values necessary to portray fairness and balance to a news story. When I became an editor, compelling reporters to adopt these high standards, echoed the strong-willed, high level of standards of those trailblazing journalist who understood working in an environment rich in tradition and working in a culture of high standards and values. Today's breed of reporters and editors have a difficult time distinguishing facts from opinions -- crossing that slippery slope of passing off reporting as news --imagined or slanted. There are many agenda-driven perspectives being espoused by corporate influences instead of good, solid reporting of facts, leaving the reader fully in charge of deciding issues while checking attitudes at the door and giving both sides of an issue without injecting opinion. It is difficult to separate news reporting from opinion, and it takes a critical eye to pronounce the difference.