[Prudence]

The passive voice thing can be a major PITA.

As with so many things, it's a stylistic issue and therefore very context-dependant. It's not an evil in the same vein as noun-verb agreement, although that is frequently how it is presented nowadays.

In some contexts (maybe technical reports, for an example?) passive voice is nealy unavoidable. On the other hand, if I'm doing a formal persuasive piece the active voice can be more compelling.

And perhaps the most important reason to distinguish between the two is when it affects the bottom line. If your ability to continue to receive a pay check is directly affected by your use of active over passive voice, then active voice is your new best friend.