Rodricks: Comforted, criticized and challenged by Sun readers since 1976

I confess that, covering my first election for the Sunpapers of Baltimore, I broke a rule: I accepted a free meal. It was Nov. 2, 1976. An editor assigned me to write a story about Election Day politics in East Baltimore. I ended up in front of a giant bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, my journalistic integrity in shambles, overpowered by Highlandtown hospitality.