Fox 9 endorses Robyne Robinson for lieutenant governor [VIDEO]

A sad sendoff to Robyne Robinson's career as a journalist

​Going into last night's 9 p.m. broadcast--Robyne Robinson's sign-off before leaving to pursue politics as Matt Entenza's running mate--Fox 9 had ample warning of the potential for conflicts of interest.

The day after Robinson admitted that she had been asked by Entenza to run as his lieutenant governor, a journalism ethics expert from the Poynter Institute advised that Robinson should be taken off the air immediately .

"While she's making the decision, take her off the air, especially since she's publicly known," said Kelly McBride. "Once it's out that she's considering it, I think she owes it to her audience to make up her mind quickly."

Instead, Fox 9 went in the exact opposite direction, producing a newscast that will someday be taught in journalism schools as an example of how not to do it.

Talk about blurring the boundaries: A soft-focused montage of Robinson's career as a newswoman blended right in with a soft-focused Matt Entenza campaign commercial.

The very fact that Entenza was allowed (solicited?) to advertise on this program is itself a conflict, but to have the spot run so close in time to Robinson's biographical material gives the overall impression of one giant promo for Entenza/Robinson 2010.

Later, during a retrospective on Robinson's career, Tom Lyden directly addressed the idea of Robinson running, and came perilously close to outright endorsing her:

"Lieutenant Governor Robyne Robinson? It does have a ring to it."

Watch the video below and see if you can identify the exact moment when Fox 9 loses all credibility reporting on the 2010 governor's race.