John Hood isn’t the only person declaring a pox on all the houses along Senate JII Lane.

News & Observer columnist (and news director at WPTF, State Government Radio, and NC News Network) Rick Martinez says the demise of public broadcasting as an independent media voice would destroy “an important style of journalism …. More than any medium, public broadcasting gives its reporters the luxury of time, reflection and the exploration of nuance.”

The Greensboro News & Record‘s editorial board says “the damage has been done. UNC-TV bowed to the contention that it is a state agency and not an independent news organization. That may seem obvious to some, but the question deserved to be tested in court. Now, its future endeavors to produce objective news programming will raise doubts. Will information be turned over to legislators or other state officials to serve political agendas? Will those officials use their funding authority to influence the content of news programs?”

The Salisbury Post’s editors asked

What if UNC-TV were doing an expose on ethical lapses in the
legislature? Would senators feel entitled to a sneak preview of the
contents?

And WUNC-FM’s Laura Leslie takes no prisoners on her blog:

[UNC-TV reporter Eszter] Vajda claimed in her affidavit [to JII] that she has decided to cooperate
?without waiving my right to exercise my journalist?s privilege.? That?s
like deciding to have a car wreck without waiving your good driver?s
discount.  You can?t have it both ways.

(CJ‘s Don Carrington photographed Vajda at the JII hearing last night.)

Leslie continues:

UNC-TV rolled over in record time with barely a whimper, citing legal advice that the state?s power to demand information from its agencies supersedes its journalists? shield law rights. That?s a pretty creative read of the shield law statute, which makes no such allowances. And it sets a nasty precedent that sends chills down the spines of other journalists in public broadcasting, including me.

WUNC-FM really does investigative reporting, as Martinez pointed out in his column. So if I were a serious journalist working for any of the outlets that are part of the UNC public broadcasting umbrella, I’d be nervous, too.