[lbo-talk] Attacks on PBS continue

[Carl Remick]

[In the thread "This I can't believe" on Apr 26 Doug wrote:  "Years ago I 
had Janine Jackson of FAIR on my radio show, to react to one of many 
right-wing hits on PBS. She argued that the right would never want to shut 
down PBS - they would just keep beating up on it so that it would move to 
the right to forestall further attacks. Of course, they'd never move far 
enough, so the attacks would continue, and the reactive rightward moves 
would continue."]

May 2, 2005

Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases

By STEPHEN LABATON, LORNE MANLY
and ELIZABETH JENSEN

WASHINGTON, May 1 - The Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public 
Broadcasting is aggressively pressing public television to correct what he 
and other conservatives consider liberal bias, prompting some public 
broadcasting leaders - including the chief executive of PBS - to object that 
his actions pose a threat to editorial independence.

Without the knowledge of his board, the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, 
contracted last year with an outside consultant to keep track of the guests' 
political leanings on one program, "Now With Bill Moyers."

In late March, on the recommendation of administration officials, Mr. 
Tomlinson hired the director of the White House Office of Global 
Communications as a senior staff member, corporation officials said. While 
she was still on the White House staff, she helped draft guidelines 
governing the work of two ombudsmen whom the corporation recently appointed 
to review the content of public radio and television broadcasts.

Mr. Tomlinson also encouraged corporation and public broadcasting officials 
to broadcast "The Journal Editorial Report," whose host, Paul Gigot, is 
editor of the conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. And 
while a search firm has been retained to find a successor for Kathleen A. 
Cox, the corporation's president and chief executive, whose contract was not 
renewed last month, Mr. Tomlinson has made clear to the board that his 
choice is Patricia Harrison, a former co-chairwoman of the Republican 
National Committee who is now an assistant secretary of state.

Mr. Tomlinson said that he was striving for balance and had no desire to 
impose a political point of view on programming, explaining that his efforts 
are intended to help public broadcasting distinguish itself in a 500-channel 
universe and gain financial and political support.

"My goal here is to see programming that satisfies a broad constituency," he 
said, adding, "I'm not after removing shows or tampering internally with 
shows." ...

<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/02/arts/television/02public.html?hp&ex=1115092800&en=1085de148e09623c&ei=5094&partner=homepage>

Carl