That is not to say that a reporter can't form opinions. I know I didn't get it when I was starting out. I was the editorial page editor for my college newspaper, and I had, well, some definite opinions about a lot of things. I thought regular reporting would be dry and boring, but I found the opposite was true. Especially now, at a time when so much raw information is available to people because of the Internet, I think people are looking to newspapers like The Times to synthesize and explain news and culture.
Most stories start with an opinion that is either reaffirmed or modified in the reporting process.
Weighing all sides helps you as a reporter figure out what the truth is. Of course, I would not be human if I did not have opinions about issues and people. But my job is to gather facts and present them, unvarnished, to my readers. This is not easy, and probably no reporter can be 100 percent objective 100 percent of the time. But the goal is worthy and should be pursued, I think.