After a year marked by unprecedented censures and convictions following scandals in ethics by elected and appointed officials, the North Carolina Legislature enacted some of the toughest reforms in its history. While lawmakers work to rebuild public trust, what impact will these episodes of unethical political behavior have on the November 2008 state and national elections? To answer these questions and explore related issues, Eszter Vajda, UNC-TV's senior producer of Public Affairs, hosts the timely public affairs special Money, Ethics & Politics in North Carolina.

Vajda moderates a panel discussion tackling such timely topics as recent corruption cases, strategies to lessen the impact of money on the political process, the effect of new lobbying and campaign finance reform legislation and how recent cases and legislation will ultimately affect the 2008 election. Have these incidents eroded citizen confidence and is restoration of that trust possible? A mix of well-known personalities in state politics exploring the issues of mixing money and politics and the ethical implications on North Carolina's legislative process.

Expert panelists include:

• Senator Phil Berger (R-District 26), North Carolina Senate Minority Leader
• Rob Christensen, Senior Political Reporter, The News & Observer and author of The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics (April 2008, UNC Press)
• Ran Coble, Executive Director of the NC Center for Public Policy Research
• Representative Joe Hackney (D-District 54), North Carolina Speaker of the House of Representatives

Money, Ethics & Politics in North Carolina is part of UNC-TV’s ongoing commitment to produce programs for and about North Carolina.