Election coverage: don't fall short: in the race to cover the candidates, don't lose the public's trust.(From The Editor)

It didn't take long for us to decide on a theme for our annual ethics issue.

In December, when we were setting the editorial calendar, we were seeing daily coverage of the Democratic primary race. That coverage provided media watchers with plenty to discuss, and it was clear from the tone of those early campaigns that the main event--the presidential race this November--was going to be one to remember.

Many Democratic primary voters were citing "ability to beat President Bush" as their single priority, and the primary process itself was planned in such a way to maintain Democratic unity going into the November elections.

I don't know if the current presidential …