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Bias at PBS? N.Y. Times Incredulous
HumanEventsOnline ^ | May 6, 2005 | by L. Brent Bozell, III

Posted on 05/06/2005 6:35:31 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay

The old news: PBS is still a liberal monstrosity transforming the hard-earned dollars of many Bush-loving taxpayers into fire-breathing Bush-loathing programming. The new development: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has plans to get serious about seeking a better balance of political views on PBS.

From the sound of a New York Times front-page story May 2, they must have been waving smelling salts in the face of liberal reporters. Kenneth Tomlinson, the "Republican chairman" of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was said to be pressing aggressively to correct "what he and other conservatives consider liberal bias." The Times approach, pretending this issue is a gigantic question mark, makes about as much sense as an article taking exception to what "conservatives consider the blue color of the sky."

But remember, we're talking about the New York Times. In this story, "Republican conservative" Tomlinson was opposed by the president of PBS, Pat Mitchell, unlabeled by the Times as either a Democrat or a liberal. Nor was it fit to print her ties to liberal celebrities such as Robert Redford or Ted Turner, or her role in the CNN "Cold War" documentary that was so biased conservatives have written entire books debunking it. Mitchell's first major initiative after being named PBS boss in 2002 was to give Bill Moyers an hour every week to bash conservatives.

So what has Tomlinson done to deserve front-page coverage in the New York Times? He plans to have two ombudsmen look over the content. Stop the bloody presses! Bill Schulz, a longtime editor at Reader's Digest, and Ken Bode, a longtime reporter for NBC and CNN and a former host of PBS's "Washington Week," will be moonlighting in part-time positions, and won't even screen PBS programming in advance. But this is Crisis Time for the entrenched leftists at PBS who want no scrutiny whatsoever.

Schulz and Bode would have had plenty of work on the Moyers show "Now," even after the 2004 election. In November, Moyers attacked Condoleezza Rice and her successor as national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, for their "pattern of ineptness," and despaired as the president turned America's credibility in the world over to "two of the people who helped shred it. Both are known first and foremost for loyalty to the official view of reality, no matter the evidence to the contrary."

Also in November, Moyers interviewed ultraliberal nun Joan Chittister about the evil American atrocities against civilians in Iraq. He asked: "Depending on the sources, Sister Joan, there have been 37,000 civilians killed in Iraq, or as many perhaps as 100,000. Why is abortion a higher moral issue with many American Christians than the invasion of Iraq and the loss of life there?"

Chittister said yes, dropping bombs on civilians, including pregnant women, is "military abortion." To which Moyers added: "Somebody said to me the other day that Americans don't behead, but we do drop smart bombs that do it for us." Is there a politician anywhere in America who made that nasty a commercial last year? Equating our military's bombing missions with terrorist beheadings of civilians?

If you still don't believe Moyers is the poster boy for liberal bias at PBS, take it from Current newspaper, the must-read publication for PBS insiders. They found in November 2004 that a six-month review of Moyers showed that "of the 75 segments over six months that treated controversial issues like the Iraq War, the state of the economy and the corrupting influence of corporate money on politics, only 13 included anyone who spoke against the thrust of the segment." That study didn't make the New York Times story on "alleged" PBS bias. For Moyers, it is a great night of taxpayer-funded broadcasting when the conservatives get no chance to rebut his personal attacks.

It should also be noted that while "Now" shrunk to a half-hour show, it continues in its liberal way, most recently with a big segment bashing the U.S. military over Abu Ghraib. Scrap any thought that Moyers has stopped his omnipresent role on PBS, since he's now hosting a global-affairs show called "Wide Angle," where he recently ran down Pope Benedict XVI for stifling "dissenters." PBS is not now, and never has been, a conservative network.

In the final analysis, Ken Tomlinson is trying to balance out the PBS image so that it will have more success getting more and more federal funding. So it's clear that conservatives are not really getting the conservative agenda if Tomlinson succeeds in his goals. Conservatives wish every taxpayer dollar destined for public broadcasting in a 21st-Century media universe was returned home to their wallets and purses where it belongs. Mr. Bozell is president of the Media Research Center.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: billmoyers; billschulz; brentbozell; cnn; joanchittister; kenbode; kennethtomlinson; liberalmedia; mediabias; mrc; nbc; newyorktimes; now; nyt; patmitchell; pbs; readersdigest; robertredford; sisterjoan; tedturner; washingtonweek; wideangle
Bill Moyers - “I believe democracy requires ‘a sacred contract’ between journalists and those who put their trust in us to tell them what we can about how the world really works.” -TomPaine.com.

(Bill) Moyers also serves as president of the Schumann Center for Media and Democracy, which gives financial support to TomPaine.com. TomPaine.com was founded by John Moyers in 1995 to amplify public-interest voices and take on controversial issues—often in coordination with regular advertisements published on the Op-Ed page of The New York Times.

TomPaine.com a Progressive website writes this on Bozell: "Tomlinson clearly has supporters. L. Brent Bozel IIl, founder of the Parents Television Council, which single-handedly filed 99.8 percent of FCC indecency complaints in 2003, had this to say:

"PBS is still a liberal monstrosity transforming the hard-earned dollars of many Bush-loving taxpayers into fire-breathing Bush-loathing programming...Conservatives wish every taxpayer dollar destined for public broadcasting in a 21st-century media universe was returned home to their wallets and purses, where it belongs."

"A one-person crusade to influence the direction of public television is not in the public's best interest. But then, Tomlinson wouldn't know what the public thinks about PBS content, because he hasn't asked.."The P In PBS Means Public 4/07/05


1 posted on 05/06/2005 6:35:34 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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To: fight_truth_decay
for the entrenched leftists at PBS who want no scrutiny whatsoever.

I won't ask for scrutiny if you don't ask for my money: deal?

2 posted on 05/06/2005 6:52:23 PM PDT by ALPAPilot
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To: fight_truth_decay

The Great Society created PBS has always been taxpayer funded liberal Democrat propaganda. I say don't fuss with changing it. Eliminate it.

Any show that is worthwhile will end up on the myriad cable networks.


3 posted on 05/06/2005 6:56:33 PM PDT by MisterRepublican
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To: fight_truth_decay

Let's just scrap PBS and be done with it. Even if it actually did become "fair and balanced", that still wouldn't change the fact that it is an unconstitutional waste of the taxpayers' money.


4 posted on 05/06/2005 6:58:39 PM PDT by Zero Sum ("Speak softly and carry a big stick." -TR)
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To: fight_truth_decay

That's odd, Janeane Garofolo was spewing on Airhead America how PBS and NPR are part of the "dominant right wing media". Wacko-wacko-wacko-wacko............

Excuse me but I need to head to the decon shower.


5 posted on 05/06/2005 7:01:06 PM PDT by Fred Hayek (I live in Minnesota, I run a business in Minnesota, but I remain a TEXAN!)
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To: fight_truth_decay

PBS can die swiftly for all I care. They'll only change masks (like the Hildabeast) because they're groveling for funding.


6 posted on 05/06/2005 7:09:34 PM PDT by JoJo Gunn (Help control the Leftist population. Have them spayed or neutered. ©)
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To: ALPAPilot

"I won't ask for scrutiny if you don't ask for my money: deal?"

Perhaps you are far too generous. PBS get frequencies basically for free.

I would prefer to see all frequencies put up for bids. Fair is fair - isn't it?


7 posted on 05/06/2005 7:12:16 PM PDT by GladesGuru
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To: fight_truth_decay
I do notice that NPR is adding more stories about religious issues and the Christian right.

Today they had a good report on the fast emerging Christian based legal foundations that are beginning to challenge the likes of the ACLU in the culture wars.

Good report. I hope the trend continues.

8 posted on 05/06/2005 7:16:48 PM PDT by zarf
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To: Fred Hayek
That's odd, Janeane Garofolo was spewing on Airhead America how PBS and NPR are part of the "dominant right wing media". Wacko-wacko-wacko-wacko............

Not too wacko, if you consider her motives. If you paint PBS and NPR as "right-wing" then AA becomes "moderate", the "voice of the common man". That's not wacko, just a standard propaganda technique.

9 posted on 05/06/2005 7:22:17 PM PDT by randog (What the....?!)
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To: Fred Hayek

10 posted on 05/06/2005 9:26:37 PM PDT by RightWingAtheist (Creationism is not conservative!)
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To: Fred Hayek

You've got to be kidding me. I thought they were delusional thinking the NY Times and CBS/CNN etc. were "corporatists" and "conservative" media outlets.

NPR and PBS?

The libs OWN those two Pravda-lites.


11 posted on 05/06/2005 9:47:30 PM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (DUmmies: What part of "pay any price, bear any burden, oppose any foe" don't you understand?)
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To: Fred Hayek

"That's odd, Janeane Garofolo was spewing on Airhead America how PBS and NPR are part of the "dominant right wing media". Wacko-wacko-wacko-wacko............ "

Here is something I posted on Craigs list on the New York political section. By the way, it is a liberal bastion of Bush and Jew haters. I go there to tweak the liberals noses. I woud encourage all of you to do the same. It is fun watching them whine.

" You are absolutely right. I am a Republican and I agree that there is no left wing media. Look at the facts.

CBS publishes fraudulent documents to take down a sitting President and people move further to the right out of disgust. Now Dan Rather is a smart guy. He was working for the Republicans. CBS is in last place in the ratings. That is because people hate losers and Rather, in his flurry to help Bush and discredit the Liberals as whining sore losers published this trash ran with this story.

Let's look at another Right wing propoganda story. Abu Gharib. The NY Times ran the story for 28 straight days. The Democrats in the Senate went bananas over it. See Kennedy bloviating that this was a travesty? Well the Times did this to discredit the Liberals and show the nation what a moron Kennedy is. Well Americans hate morons and moved further to the right. Think about it. What the military did is done every Friday and Saturday night at a bar by the meat packing district. Difference is there you have to pay 30 bucks to participate.

Lastly, let's look at what the Republican media did to John Kerry. They buried him by propping up his service record all the while knowing that he didn't sign his 180 or explain that mysterious trip to Cambodia or about his medal throwing episode or meeting with the North Vietnamese. Or that in 19 years in the senate, he never did anything good for this country.

What the Right wing papers did was ignore the Swiftboat stories so that people would really wonder if Kerry was for real or just another Elitist/Socialist hack from Massachusettes. Also, by Bashing bush about Air Nation Guard records that were being regurgitated from the 2000 election they made people feel sorry for the President.

There are so many more ways the Right Wing Media works to bolster Republicans. Just thought for the sake of space I would name only these. Now we know the real reason why 83% of all counties in the US lean to the right, up a significant percentage each election cycle as well as a republican Senate, Congress, Supreme court, Governorships and the Presidency is because of the Right Wing Media.

As the papers and other Right wing media keep reporting about Republican non-compliance with the minority Democrats on issues like John Bolton, court nominees and anything Bush proposes, people will again see the left for the joke that they are and continue to move to the right.

My advice? Stop buying these papers and stop watching CNN. It is polluting the minds of this nation. Stop protesting as the Right wing media picks up on this and broadcasts it all over the place. Stop supporting Michael Moore who the Right Wing Media loves to promote as the lefts greatest supporter. Stop supporting the Clintons, who the Right Wing media will not tell the American public about their criminal acts.

It's not what the Right Wing Media says, it is what it doesn't say that is turning America to the right. "


They had no answer for this. I love it.


12 posted on 05/07/2005 4:22:49 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (Liberal Talking Point - Bush = Hitler ... Republican Talking Point - Let the Liberals Talk)
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To: fight_truth_decay
He asked: "Depending on the sources, Sister Joan, there have been 37,000 civilians killed in Iraq, or as many perhaps as 100,000. Why is abortion a higher moral issue with many American Christians than the invasion of Iraq and the loss of life there?"

Anyone with a non-public school mathematics education can answer that one: up to 100,000 civilians have been killed. 45,000,000 have been killed. Just count the zeros and tell me which one is worse.

13 posted on 05/07/2005 4:50:42 AM PDT by Lexinom (Seattle is to the unborn what Auschwitz was to the Jews)
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To: Lexinom

45,000,000 UNBORN have been killed


14 posted on 05/07/2005 4:51:48 AM PDT by Lexinom (Seattle is to the unborn what Auschwitz was to the Jews)
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To: BigTime
Bump, BigTime!

HF

15 posted on 05/07/2005 5:18:42 AM PDT by holden (holden awnuhnuh truth, de whole truth, 'n nuttin' but de truth)
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To: fight_truth_decay

My lib friends at work will have a hissy fit


16 posted on 05/07/2005 6:35:02 AM PDT by The Raven (Liberalism is a verifiable weapon of mass destruction)
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To: holden

Thanks for the bump.

I wonder what Thomas Paine would think of Bill Moyers co-opting his name.


17 posted on 05/10/2005 8:32:35 AM PDT by BigTime
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To: fight_truth_decay
Somewhere in the past we lost all control over our government. It has taken a life of it's own and cannot be stopped at the ballot box.

If we cannot shut down PBS, a rather simple task, how on earth can we expect to....

Get the feds to keep illegals out of the USA.

Allow non-liberal judges to get appointed

Force congress to have the same retirement system as the rest of us.

Protect and restore the full power of the 2nd and 4th Amendments.

Deport all non-citizen mudslimes.

Stop non-elected agencies (EPA, ATF, DEC, etc) making laws when that responsibility should be in the hands of "Elected" officials.

The list goes on and on, but again, folks we cannot even shut down PBS. RATS and RINOs have a lock on power and we simply supply the money.

18 posted on 05/10/2005 9:12:42 AM PDT by Wurlitzer (I have the biggest organ in my town {;o))
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