Now, I’m aware that Hannity wavers on whether the title “journalist” accurately describes his role. “Entertainer” is probably more accurate, but when you anchor of an hour-long primetime TV show on what is ostensibly a cable “news” network, you have a responsibility to to disclose potential conflicts of interest to your audience. It matters not that Hannity is a “pundit” and not a straight reporter. As Jonah Goldberg has pointed out, being an opinion journalist does not absolve one of this responsibility. People need to trust that our opinions are really our opinions.

Whether one cares about upholding ethical standards, this makes it impossible for conservatives to complain the next time a Democrat cozies up to a member of the press. Back in March, conservative John Ziegler authored a column titled, “A Comprehensive List of Things Republicans Can No Longer Legitimately Criticize Thanks to Trump.” It’s time to add one more to the list.

The truth is that for years, conservatives had every right to complain about Democrats and the media. Examples are rife.