St. Petersburg Times columnist Eric Deggans is confused at why a reporter might take a job with an advocacy group.

He knows it may not look good: An investigative reporter with more than 10 years covering a controversial case leaves journalism to work for one of the guys at the center of the story.

Still, ask former Tampa Tribune reporter Michael Fechter whether his decision to join the staff of controversial antiterrorism crusader Steve Emerson might cast doubt on more than a decade of reporting on terrorism accusations against local Muslims, and he offers a surprising answer.

It doesn't matter much.

Oh, the horror! An investigative reporter taking a job at an anti-terrorism outfit! That's almost as bad as one taking a job for a ... wait for it ... Republican.

The truth is that this sort of thing happens all the time. You've seen it in high profile cases as with White House Press Secretary Tony Snow's migration from newspaper editorial writer to Bush 41 speechwriter to "Fox News Sunday" to talk radio and finally to his latest gig.

But it happens far more often than you might suspect -- usually in more under-the-radar jobs. The Fechter case is odd in one way; the news media actually bothered to report it.

I don't know how long Deggans has been in the business, but here's to hoping he aquires the necessary cynicism sometime soon.