This Is All Kinds Of...? of the Day (Poll)

In a controversial move that has rekindled the debate over whether journalists should be objective, The Seattle Times Company paid $75,000 for a full-page ad in its flagship paper in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Rob McKenna.

Company executives say the move is an experiment to show the power of newspaper political advertising. "The News Department was not part of the discussion or the decision to do this," says Seattle Times executive editor David Boardman.

But Democrats, politicos, and journalists -- including premiere journalism watchdog Jim Romenesko -- are crying foul; more than 100 Seattle Times employees have even signed a petition saying the paper's move "undermines their journalism."

A second ad is planned in support of Washington's initiative to legalize same-sex marriage, R-74.