Pamela Martin is far worse than John Pifer: Both crossed the line of the public's perception of their being ethically independent of politics.

 Pamela Martin has long been known as a television journalist with hard hitting stories, never showing a glimpse into her private life ambitions nor her leanings towards one political party over all others.  That all changed upon Pamela Martin's 'retirement' in 2010.

After all of the years of introductions of the BCTV Six o'clock news with 'Pamela Martin' we still sit up upon her commanding voice, ears-a-twitter, waiting for the sound bites to be fed to us as if we were house trained Pavlov's dogs. 

Its getting more and more difficult to sort out a former investigative journalist's ethical duty to the public where her income was once derived from the private sector under the auspices of the a journalist's Code of Conduct and Code of Integrity, to then being hired by the British Columbia government to promote one political party over all others with her salary coming from the Treasury via an Order In Council (OIC) signed off by the Premier's Office as a Communicator.

When Pamela Martin speaks for Today's BC Liberals, there is no disclosure on her, or their, parts as to the bias 'reporting' that she is speaking of.   There's not a hint of the intimacy that exists between a once fiercely independent broad-caster to then dining at the public trough funded by donations from out for province, out of country, contributions to the BC Liberal Party.

Which sort of brings up a prickly situation of journalism ethics if compared to one John Pifer.

October 1, 1990  British Columbia Report

... With the politicians on the pre-election campaign trail, reporters once again took to bludgeoning their own in another installment of this summer-long soap opera.

The latest "scandal" involves freelance writer John Pifer, a Thomson newspaper columnist, contributor to MacLean's magazine, and regular radio open-line-show analyst.  He raised the ire of some fellow gallery members - most notably those from the rival Southam chain - when they learned he was charging MLAs $75 for interviewing them on a free-time political broadcast, offered by Rogers Cable TV as part of its licensing agreement.  The show, MLA Reports, is a "good news" program that allows MLAs to talk about what they have been doing for their constituents.  Usually, MLAs ask a party member or assistant to interview them on the show, which Mr. Pifer describes as "exciting as watching a traffic light change for 30 minutes."  Viewership is understandably limited.

Occasionally, a community reporter may do an interview au gratis, but when word leaked out two weeks ago that a member of the press gallery was being paid to interview such people as cabinet ministers Carol Gran and Elwood Veitch, the gallery's ethical hackles were raised. 

 And .....

A flurry of news stories in the Vancouver Sun and the Province followed.  In each case Mr. Pifer's journalistic integrity was called into question.  Gallery president KIETH BALDREY, who defeated Mr. Pifer in a hotly contest election for the gallery presidency last January, said it was up to Mr. Piper's employers and readers to hold him accountable. He took a similar position last summer when some reporters called for a press gallery investigation into Miss SINCLAIR's conduct and that of other reporters who may have played a role in leaking the Smith tapes to the NDP.

When Messrs. BALDREY and KIERAN over-ruled such calls, fellow executive member KIM EMERSON, a radio reporter with CKNW, resigned his gallery post. But he later started a petition to force the