Scribe to Papers: Stop Endorsing

Newspapers should stop endorsing candidates, Philadelphia Daily News blogger Will Bunch writes, because the practice makes editorial pages look disingenuous. Most papers have been stepping up with one nod to a Democrat and another to a Republican, he notes; what could be more ridiculous than supporting Barack Obama and John McCain—whose policies are diametrically opposed—in the same breath?

But it’s not just the dishonesty of supporting both parties that galls Bunch: He says being a partisan for any politician means you’ll “look for an excuse that might condone the very same behavior” you would “condemn in someone else.” Instead of reflexively picking the most centrist candidates, editorial pages should run “fair and honest” critiques—then let the voters decide. (More endorsement stories.)