In some circles the news media is called the Fourth Estate, recognizing the power the press has as a counter-balance to powers within the government and business. Though this title was created in the 18th century, it is still true today.

Why bring this up? Because power is at the root of why news organizations are struggling with their ethical regulations to such a degree. I suggest that those organizations that we see suspending personnel, or firing them, over violations that some of us may find inconsequential, are the news organizations that we can trust for original, fact-checked, opinion-free news.

NOTE: I’m not saying that these organizations are handling everything correctly, but they recognize the impact their journalists can have.

Organizations that want to be considered reputable news sources DO need to make sure that their personnel aren’t doing insider trading, or fixing the horse race — however you want to think of political donations coupled with favorable news coverage — when it comes to one of the most important stories they cover, our ELECTIONS.

It also seems fair for news organizations to watch for clear biases along racial, gender or religious lines.

That’s what we’ve seen happening in the past couple of months, and I for one applaud the effort. Sure, all the internal memos reminding reporters that they shouldn’t be seen carrying signs on the National Mall sound silly to the public, but we need our Fourth Estate intact. We need a strong, virtuous press corps willing to look at journalism as a sort of public service, because at its best, that’s what it is.

By all means, politicians and pundits have important roles in our system, too, but it is dangerous to rely on them for news.

I come back from vacation to learn that once again The Washington Post is in the news, which is a crazy sort of meta situation that I’m learning to live with. Journalists like to write about journalism and Washington likes to talk about one of its oldest employers. But this is just silliness.

If there was a fight in your office, what would happen? Would there be gossip in the lunch room? Chats in the parking lot? Not here. A spat in The Post newsroom gets splattered onto blogs all over town and blown out of proportion.

Here are some of the stories that posted around town. My favorite is the perspective from Gene Weingarten, a veteran Washington Post columnist, who still writes for The Washington Post Magazine.

• Mediabistro: Fishbowl DC
• The Washingtonian’s Capitol Comment blog
• Politico’s Click
• Washington City Paper’s City Desk
• The Washington Post: Gene Weingarten’s Chatalogical Humor
• Wonkette: Brawl At WaPo Office
• update: Washington City Paper’s YouTube video
• update: Tonsil: Hank Steuver
• update: Washington City Paper’s Final Thoughts

As I find more response and feedback, I’m adding it. The way this story is unfolding is really intriguing to me for obvious reasons.

Not too long ago, a New York Post cartoonist upset a large number of people by drawing an unfunny and tasteless editorial cartoon, and it’s screwing things up for me personally. (And I’m sure some other folks too.)

The Washington Post subsequently published a preemptive apology, regarding a funny and tasteful cartoon illustration running in The Washington Post Magazine. What is this world coming to?

I happen to like monkeys. (For the sake of this post, I’m including gorillas and chimpanzees in that category, although I am an educated person and I know that is incorrect usage.)

When my sister was young, we said she was the monkey of the family. She was great at climbing trees and rarely sat in a conventional position in a chair. She was proud of this nickname as a kid, and as an adult, she is certified to teach yoga. We call my nephew a silly monkey. He loves Curious George.

Last year, I bought a beautiful book called Monkey Portraits of photos of monkeys (apes, gorillas and chimps too) for a number of my friends, all of whom find monkeys intriguing or endearing for one reason or another.

I confess to be anglo-saxon-American. However, I’m also quite sure those apes in that photo book and I are distant cousins, in a Darwinian sort of way. But neither has to do with why I dig simians.

I also like cats and bears.

Monkeys are funny and remarkable because they are like us. Like ALL of us. So I’ll be keeping my monkeys.

W had his big press conference yesterday and the press gave him some face time. But why did SO MANY front pages choose to give him the same kind of face time? Is there a conspiracy in the layout departments of our nation’s newspapers? What gives?

I am seriously beginning to wonder. Every time I turn around, another blog or publication is spending time, effort and ink spouting off on what The Washington Post should be doing with their business.

Whose business? The Post’s business. I hope The Post is flattered by the concern that the city is showing.

• This Bag Is Too Heavy – Washington City Paper
• The slow, painful death of the Washington Post – The D.C. Universe
• Weymouth: WaPo ‘must be the indispensible guide to Washington – Politico
• Post Watch: Washington Post to Increase Newstand Price – Washingtonian

And I hope these other folks have their ducks in a row; they seem to have time on their hands to deal with other publications’ business.

Keith Olbermann has just reminded me of one of my pet peeves, and that’s journalists that don’t vote.

I understand that impartiality in journalism is extremely important. The idea of journalists registering as Independents, which means that they may even be excluded from primaries, is acceptable to me. That way the public won’t see reporters taking a color-coded D or R ballot at the polls, and I can see how that’s a good thing. And in states where there are caucuses, which require you to physically stand up to be counted in primaries, journalists wouldn’t want to publicly reveal their leanings.

The idea that journalists and newspapers shouldn’t finance politicians or political parties is also reasonable.

The purpose behind these policies and the extreme no-voting policy is to encourage impartial journalistic coverage. I see the importance in this.

But journalists, especially those covering political campaigns, are some of our best-educated citizens, by virtue of their vocation. The idea that these folks should withhold their vote in an some ultimate show of fairness is silly to me.

Isn’t the purpose of political journalists, to educate the electorate? Why not exercise these educated votes? Smarter voters, in theory, will lead to better government.

Can’t impartiality be measured in some other way? Common sense? Newsworthiness?

Perhaps this is the difference between ‘citizen journalism’ and professional journalists. Impartiality.

Lots of people can write down what they’ve seen. Some people can make it sound good. Everyone has an opinion about it. But only professional journalists can witness something and report, impartially, what happened, while still making it seem important or interesting to readers from various backgrounds.

If it were only the endgame of The Vote that determined fairness, then we would have no way to judge our newsfolks’ impartiality the rest of the year. I respect the ideas behind withholding these votes, but I really wish non-voting journalists would reconsider.

We need as many educated voters as we can get in America. Journalists, don’t cheat our country out of your vote.

Some other thoughts on the topic:

• Brauchli: This ‘WaPo’ Editor Plans to Vote
• Should journalists vote?
• Should journalists vote? Yes, no, sometimes
• Helen Thomas is back – and she voted.

The Washington Post sold out within hours today, and newspaper boxes were empty all over town. When they announced a special edition was coming out, lines formed. CVS on K Street was so thick with people that shopping was impossible, and The Post itself saw something it hasn’t seen in a while. People hungering for that paper edition.

Sure, I was huddled around my phone watching Post updates during the concert last night. Because electronic news fits in a smaller pocket than a newspaper does.

But this afternoon I watched as a line formed up 15th Street, at the Post’s back copy window. All the way up the street to M Street, Washingtonians waited until the familiar cyan blue Washington Post delivery van pulled up to the driveway to deliver the afternoon commemorative edition with the headline “Obama Makes History.”

And Washington made a little tiny history as they hungered for this paper, that’s documented so many other moments for our nation. And Marcus Brauchli, the new editor, came out to see the people he’s just begun to serve. And Kathryn Weymouth came out to see that Washingtonians do still care about news on pages you can turn.

You just can’t scrapbook a website.