Pignanelli: Joe Cannon, editor of the Deseret Morning News, has committed an act of appalling cruelty. Because of him, I lost a free lunch... at an Italian restaurant.

I like Joe Cannon. He has been good to me, despite my obnoxious heathen Democrat tendencies. He openly supported me in the mayor's race. Joe is a progressive Republican visionary, hoping to expand the GOP tent through racial and religious diversity.

Cannon's appointment as editor of this paper caused much grumbling by Democrats and many Republicans. They believed his prior position as chairman of the Utah State Republican Party drives a political agenda for the paper and even his well-meaning intentions would be viewed with suspicion. I thought otherwise. I countered his detractors with a firm retort that he was "too smart" and possessed the common sense to avoid even the appearance of journalistic impropriety. Confident of Joe's savvy, I made several wagers for lunch.

Cannon was a recent featured speaker at the Council for National Policy. This group conducts meetings behind closed doors — even guest presenters are not allowed to reveal the details. All members are sworn to an oath of confidentiality (an obvious incentive for big dues). Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was in attendance, as was Dick Cheney.

A lot of journalistic think tanks are livid that one of their own (technically but not spiritually) would attend such a supersecret event. No other representative of the "traditional" media was present. These newspaper gurus believe that no journalist should prioritize the secrecy of such meetings over the interest of readers. But the issue is bigger than the legitimate right of this organization to secrecy.

When Cannon consented to serve as editor, he agreed to surrender certain rights. Just as elected officials, celebrities and sports figures sacrifice privacy, Cannon had to abandon certain affinities. Publishers and editors of newspapers are entitled to have political opinions and even express them. However, an editor's opinions are secondary to a higher calling. The public and readers must have confidence that all political parties, special interest groups, public individuals, etc., will be held to the same level of scrutiny. Americans reasonably expect that newspaper leadership will not engage in the active promotion of policy through political action. They must be separate from the process — notwithstanding their personal beliefs. This is why you do not witness responsible editors participating at political conventions.

Cannon's participation in a meeting of ultraconservatives with the intent of influencing policy blemishes any mantra of objectivity this paper claims. Thus, he goofed.