The executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is Keith Burris. He’s posted a scathing response to the recent allegations that management at the newspaper refused to allow some of their reporters, one of whom is Black, from covering the recent protests in the city.

What our editors did do was remind colleagues of a longstanding canon of journalism ethics: When you announce an opinion about a person or story you are reporting on you compromise your reporting. And your editor may take you off the story. This is a long-held tradition at this newspaper and at every good newspaper.

You can disagree with that ethic, or dismiss it as passe. But you cannot, fairly, call it racism.