Pushing PBS to the right (Most Americans don't see a lib slant)

[kskiska]

Republicans have launched a heavy-handed campaign to correct public broadcasting's "liberal slant." There's just one problem: Most Americans don't think it has one.

By Eric Boehlert

In the early 1970s a civil war erupted inside the fledgling world of public television. Upset with what they saw as its liberal news and public affairs programming, and particularly its tough coverage of the Vietnam War and the Watergate hearings, Nixon administration officials moved to rein in public television by stacking the board at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which acts as a governing body for the hundreds of local stations nationwide. The board then sought to control national programming decisions and curtail news programming.

"There were tremendous fights, with the Nixon Administration trying to prevent public television from doing any public affairs programming at all," former PBS president Lawrence Grossman once recalled to the New York Times. But Nixon's end run ultimately failed. In 1979, Newsweek quoted a PBS executive who insisted, "The war between CPB and PBS is over."

Today it's back on.

Amid a flurry of high-profile personnel changes, suppressed polling data, revised journalism guidelines, new oversight ground rules and deep suspicion, the CPB board -- once again under the control of White House-friendly Republicans -- and PBS are battling each other over content and allegations of PBS's liberal bias. The brawl is shaping up to make the Nixon-era dust-up seem tame by comparison: This weekend one PBS station manager dubbed CPB's crusade for "balance" a "witch hunt."

"It's designed to get people's attention and warn them not to do programming that will be questioned," says David Fanning, executive producer of "Frontline," PBS's award-winning investigative series. "We ask hard questions to people in power. That's anathema to some people in Washington these days."

more…
http://salon.com/news/feature/2005/05/10/cpb_bias_campaign/index.html

[yorkiemommie1]

1. well i already emailed them last week

and bitched them out.

local guy responded w/ the usual.

another to add to my boycott list.

[Sperk]

2. "liberal slant" means NOT extremely to the right.........silly.........

if it's not blaming Bill Clinton for something or trashing everyone else's (other than fundamentalist Christian's) beliefs.....it's liberally slanted....glad we could clear that up.

:sarcasm:

[Tux]

3. There goes

The last remains of American art, culture, documentaries, and real journalism. We'll miss PBS and the American values it held before bowing to the values of the anti-American Republicians.

[CoffeeCat]

4. These jerks won't be happy until Big Bird is wearing jack boots...

I mean really. Do the neocons have to control EVERYTHING???

I would really like to know what changes will be made at PBS.

Will Frontline be gone? Frontline is one of the very few shows that engages in real journalism. I suppose it will be canceled and replaced by some bimbo anchor moderating while a token Rep and Dem scream at each other. Lovely.

The neocons hate the arts. So, will all of the opera, great jazz and other outdoor concerts (Moody Blues) be wiped out and replaced by lively commentary from sYawn Hannity?

I can't wait to see how Sesame Street will evolve. Grover will be pushing for war with Iran. Bert and Ernie will host an investment hour and Cookie Monster's story time will include readings from the Ephesians.

WTF do these bastards want? Must they have their grimy little paws all over everything?

The thoughts of PBS being turned into "The Fox Lifestyle Channel" makes me want sick.

Mister Rogers would never have happened with the neocons in charge! It's such a shame that these jerks are desecrating PBS.

Next, someone will tell me that they're painting the Washington Monument "freedom magenta."