Tweet
PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY June 14, 2005
The New CPB: Conservative Propaganda for Bush
Elmo and Big Bird might soon be homeless if the right wing's latest base-rousing political ploy goes unchecked.
Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee voted to slash the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget for next year by $100 million and eliminated another $23 million used to pay for shows such as "Sesame Street." (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/ar...ision/10pbs... ?) To make matters worse, the subcommittee also voted to entirely eliminate federal funding for the CPB -- the government agency that dispenses public funds for PBS stations across the nation -- within two years.
This is simply the latest attempt by politicians to eliminate public broadcasting as an independent voice; one not controlled by far-right pundits or corporate owners. The American people have defeated such attacks before, but the right wing's grip on power in Washington, D.C. is stronger now -- it will take a powerful outcry from the American public to save the independent voice of public broadcasting.
Send a letter to Rep. Lynch right away:
This administration signaled its campaign to undermine PBS's independence in 2003, when President Bush named Kenneth Tomlinson, a close friend of Karl Rove, to the chairmanship of the CPB's Board of Directors. An avowed fan of FoxNews' "The O'Reilly Factor," Tomlinson has recently attacked PBS for an allegedly liberal bias and signaled steps to make the institution more Republican friendly.
Claiming to have concerns about the "objectivity and balance" of the CPB and PBS, Tomlinson has taken a series of steps to ensure that their programming better reflects the Republican mandate. He has
- Created programs to showcase conservative views such as "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered" and "The Journal Editorial Report."
- Hired a White House staffer to draft guidelines for a new PBS ombudsman to monitor programs for bias.
- Filled the ombudsman positions with one conservative and one "liberal" who endorsed Bush's former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels in his run for governor of Indiana.
- Replaced the CPB's chief executive officer with a top Republican advisor to former chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell.
And now, Tomlinson is pushing for the appointment of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to serve as the board's next president. So much for political independence!
Public broadcasting icon Bill Moyers calls Tomlinson's crusade to remake PBS a "contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch and punish journalists who tell the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable."
That's speaking truth to power. Now it's your turn. Please contact your Representative now. Rep {name} will be voting on the proposed abolition of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting soon and you need to get the message across that supporting these draconian cuts will not go unpunished. Click here to send that message now. It's worth the minute it will take.
Having fought for nearly a quarter century against efforts to intimidate and suppress sources of fact and dialogue, "People For" has helped defeat previous attacks on public broadcasting. But the latest threats have more teeth. So must our response.
Contact your U.S. Rep. NOW! Then pass it on, and on, and on...
The New CPB: Conservative Propaganda for Bush
Elmo and Big Bird might soon be homeless if the right wing's latest base-rousing political ploy goes unchecked.
Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee voted to slash the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget for next year by $100 million and eliminated another $23 million used to pay for shows such as "Sesame Street." (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/ar...ision/10pbs... ?) To make matters worse, the subcommittee also voted to entirely eliminate federal funding for the CPB -- the government agency that dispenses public funds for PBS stations across the nation -- within two years.
This is simply the latest attempt by politicians to eliminate public broadcasting as an independent voice; one not controlled by far-right pundits or corporate owners. The American people have defeated such attacks before, but the right wing's grip on power in Washington, D.C. is stronger now -- it will take a powerful outcry from the American public to save the independent voice of public broadcasting.
Send a letter to Rep. Lynch right away:
This administration signaled its campaign to undermine PBS's independence in 2003, when President Bush named Kenneth Tomlinson, a close friend of Karl Rove, to the chairmanship of the CPB's Board of Directors. An avowed fan of FoxNews' "The O'Reilly Factor," Tomlinson has recently attacked PBS for an allegedly liberal bias and signaled steps to make the institution more Republican friendly.
Claiming to have concerns about the "objectivity and balance" of the CPB and PBS, Tomlinson has taken a series of steps to ensure that their programming better reflects the Republican mandate. He has
- Created programs to showcase conservative views such as "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered" and "The Journal Editorial Report."
- Hired a White House staffer to draft guidelines for a new PBS ombudsman to monitor programs for bias.
- Filled the ombudsman positions with one conservative and one "liberal" who endorsed Bush's former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels in his run for governor of Indiana.
- Replaced the CPB's chief executive officer with a top Republican advisor to former chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell.
And now, Tomlinson is pushing for the appointment of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to serve as the board's next president. So much for political independence!
Public broadcasting icon Bill Moyers calls Tomlinson's crusade to remake PBS a "contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch and punish journalists who tell the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable."
That's speaking truth to power. Now it's your turn. Please contact your Representative now. Rep {name} will be voting on the proposed abolition of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting soon and you need to get the message across that supporting these draconian cuts will not go unpunished. Click here to send that message now. It's worth the minute it will take.
Having fought for nearly a quarter century against efforts to intimidate and suppress sources of fact and dialogue, "People For" has helped defeat previous attacks on public broadcasting. But the latest threats have more teeth. So must our response.
Contact your U.S. Rep. NOW! Then pass it on, and on, and on...
Comment