Conversation so far:
what was Peter Hitchens' contribution to journalism?
Peter Hitchens reported on the decline and collapse of communist regimes in several Warsaw Pact countries, which culminated in a stint as Moscow correspondent and reporting on life there.
what was Peter Hitchens' role in the Daily Express?
Peter Hitchens worked as a reporter of education, industrial and labour affairs, then as a political reporter, and subsequently as deputy political editor for the Daily Express.
when and why did Peter Hitchens stop being a journalist?
In 2000, Peter Hitchens left the Daily Express after its acquisition by Richard Desmond, stated that working for him would have represented a moral conflict of interest.
what was the highlight of Peter Hitchens' journalist career?
Peter Hitchens won the Orwell Prize in political journalism in 2010.
is there any interesting information on Peter Hitchens?
Peter Hitchens is an outspoken opponent of British Summer Time and describes the practice as fanatical and dictatorial and says the system amounts to lying about the time.

Question: what was the basic reason for this moral conflict of interest?
Self-contained rewrite: what was the basic reason for Peter Hitchens' moral conflict of interest?