Joe, it sounds to me like you need to revisit that history. KPFA did indeed give Cap Weinberger and other rightwingers shows in the 1950s, which was a break from the mission of pacificist dialogue upon which the network was founded. Lew Hill's idea was that controversial views should be debated -- not that rightwingers should get their own shows to promote their politics without challenge. This shift in the mission was a direct response to the pressures of the McCarthy era.
As Matthew Lasar writes in his excellent "Pacifica Radio: The Rise of an Alternative Network": "The Pacifica Network, created in 1946...saw its primary mission as promoting 'a pacific world' by encouraging creative exchange between people of diverse backgrounds and beliefs and, secondarily, as an advocate of free speech and individual rights. The original Pacificans hoped to attract a mass audience to their dialogue-oriented project. The onset of McCarthyism, however, gradually forced the foundation to define itself primarily as a haven for unpopular ideas, and for the absolute right of individuals to speak such ideas."
Sasha
Sasha Lilley Producer, Against the Grain Pacifica Radio's KPFA 510 848-6767 ext 209 www.againstthegrain.org
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