WP: Two Big Thumbs-Up For Public Radio,TV (new ombudsmen have only praise)

[DeepModem Mom]

Two Big Thumbs-Up For Public Radio, TV
New Ombudsmen Praise Programming
By Paul Farhi
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 12, 2005; Page C01


Is public broadcasting a nest of left-wing biases? Ken Tomlinson of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds public television and radio, was so concerned about the alleged leftward drift of programs on National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service that the CPB chairman persuaded his agency to hire not one but two ombudsmen to review and critique NPR and PBS news segments.

So what kind of slanted reporting have Ken Bode and William Schulz uncovered since they began work three months ago?

As it turns out, not much. Actually, as it turns out, none at all.

Instead, Bode and Schulz have been positively glowing in their assessments of the journalism heard on NPR and seen on news shows distributed by PBS. So glowing, in fact, that Schulz and Bode's reports, which are posted on CPB's Web site(http://www.cpb.org/ombudsmen/reports.html ), could easily be excerpted in the shorthand style of a movie ad quoting favorable reviews....

***

Neither ombudsman mentions a lack of "balance" -- a frequent Tomlinson criticism -- in the programs reviewed. Indeed, neither comments one way or the other about the political leanings of the few programs that were reviewed....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/11/AR2005071101573.html

[DeepModem Mom]

1. A.M. self-kick for those interested in this issue. nt

[cally]

2. This is important information

Thanks for posting.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. NYT: Public Broadcasting Gets a Budgetary Lift

Public Broadcasting Gets a Budgetary Lift
By STEPHEN LABATON
Published: July 12, 2005

WASHINGTON, July 11 - A senior Republican and a senior Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee endorsed overturning proposed cuts to the budget of public broadcasting on Monday, while the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting defended himself against accusations by Democrats that he has injected politics into programming.

"I have brought the issue of political balance - common-sense political balance - to the debate," said Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the corporation's chairman, in his first appearance before Congress since recent disclosures that he was under investigation by the corporation's inspector general for a series of decisions and payments to consultants that he has said were necessary to ensure balance in programming.

Others have criticized Mr. Tomlinson's decisions as interference with programming, and three weeks ago, 16 Democrats in the Senate called on President Bush to remove him.

The decisions under review include the hiring of a former official of a conservative journalism training organization to monitor several programs, notably "Now" with Bill Moyers; payments of $15,000 to two Republican lobbyists last year to help defeat a proposal to have more broadcasters on the corporation's board; and the use of a White House official to help create a new office of ombudsman at the corporation to monitor balance in programs.

Appearing before a Senate appropriations subcommittee, Mr. Tomlinson defended his decision to order the corporation to pay more than $14,000 to retain Fred Mann, a former official at the National Journalism Center, which was founded by the American Conservative Union, to monitor the Moyers program, along with programs featuring David Brancaccio (Mr. Moyers's successor on "Now"), Diane Rehm, Tavis Smiley and Tucker Carlson....

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/12/arts/music/12broa.html

[Ernesto]

4. A very good sign

Maybe this nation is going to wake up after all....

[Javaman]

5. Either these guys will be labeled left leaning liberals or...

They will be fired for poor judgement. Just wait for it.

[leftchick]

6. will Tomlinson still overhaul PBS?

that is the question.