We all make tough business decisions where there is no black and white, only shades of gray. A credit union loan officer might struggle with whether to approve a loan on D paper. Or a manager may decide that the best way to cut expenses is to lay somebody off, but is it the 30-year-old single mother with frequent absences or the 65-year-old who might not be as productive as he once was.

Journalism in particular might operate a lot more in the gray. Is this legitimate news, as in the CU of Atlanta CEO story? Do we have enough sources to support it? If we wait until morning for a source to call back, will we get scooped by our competitors?

As a reporter, I was always extremely cautious about putting my opinion into stories, so much so I had some difficulty at first in adjusting to the editor's role of writing a column. Now, while I'm permitted the luxury of public opinions, I still have to make tough calls on our reporting in an unbiased manner–even as others don't take the ethical high road.