Last week, George Lee -- the journalist -- accused the Government of catastrophic economic management and said it was time for change.

This week, George Lee -- the Fine Gael candidate -- accused the Government of catastrophic economic management and said it was time for change.

It doesn't have the same ring about it, does it?

Journalists have a high profile by the nature of their job. Which is why the profile accorded to journalists is so attractive to politicians. They court journalists like they court sports stars.

In Ireland, GAA players become Taoiseach. In America, North and South, movie stars and soap stars become president and professional wrestlers become governor.

The politicians like well-known faces for their posters. They also like the fact that they engage with the issues of the day, switching topics nonchalantly and dexterously, temporary experts on whatever our topic of the day might be. It is our duty to listen to every opinion on a subject before expressing our own.

Elbow

But gaining a high profile is not part of our job. Our job is to provide some sort of independent perspective of what is going on (and always on what is going wrong) with the country.

It is a difficult job. There are highly paid lobbyists and PR managers at every journalist's elbow, pushing their agenda, their angle, their message. Consensus works in journalism as much as in politics. Those who agree with the mainstream do well; those who probe and question are always in the minority.

Grace and favour is the most important weapon politicians have in managing their press. They select those they can manage, they leave out those they cannot. Being left on the outside of the dripfeed of scoops and exclusives can be a lonely place.

However, it is ethically the correct place to be, and most journalists, early in their career, try to establish a balance between the two. Which is why a journalist should not get involved.

Most politicians will guess the political allegiance of most journalists in town. Many will be right. But the job carries a responsibility of even handedness which is undermined every time a journalist nails his colours to a particular lamp post.

Many have crossed the line. Most have performed well when they have defected -- David Thornley, Justin Keating, Pat Cox, Mairead McGuinness. Others have not.

George Lee may well make a fine TD. Journalism is the poorer for his departure. And in a small way, the independence of all of us has been compromised by the news of the past few days.

- Eoghan Corry