PBS Chief Rejects Liberal Bias Allegations

By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer ^ | May 24, 2005 | By PETE YOST, Associated Press Writer

[JewishRighter]

The president of the Public Broadcasting Service on Tuesday rejected criticism by conservatives that public TV is guilty of liberal bias, and she offered a strong defense of PBS' Bill Moyers, a target of right-wing wrath.

"PBS does not belong to any one political party," Pat Mitchell said.

Mitchell's remarks at the National Press Club follow the disclosure that Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the Republican chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, hired a consultant to keep track of guests' political views on a program hosted by Moyers, who was White House press secretary during the Johnson administration.

"The facts do not support the case he makes" for political bias, Mitchell said of Tomlinson. Surveys show that the overwhelming majority of the public does not perceive bias in public broadcasting, she said.

The CPB gets appropriations from Congress for public broadcasting and is supposed to shield PBS from political influence. About 15 percent of PBS' budget is federal money.

Mitchell said PBS presents political views as diverse as those of Moyers and Paul Gigot, an editor of The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Tomlinson was a major advocate of the show hosted by Gigot.

Tomlinson has said he is interested in politically balanced broadcasting.

While defending PBS against what she regards as unfounded attacks that it is politically partial, Mitchell said she was not questioning Tomlinson's motives.

Shortly after becoming CPB chairman, Tomlinson sent Mitchell a letter complaining that Moyers' work "does not contain anything approaching the balance the law requires for public broadcasting."

At the press club, Mitchell said Moyers' reporting on campaign fundraising during the Clinton administration drew strong complaints from Democrats.

"Our criticism comes rather equally," Mitchell said.

[yarddog]

Moyers strikes me as being on the most extreme edge of radical liberalism.

I don't think it would be possibe for him to do a fair interview.

The fact that she considers Gigot as a balance to him is interesting. Gigot is a pretty bland moderate.

[JewishRighter]

I like your tagline. I'm hoping FReepers and like-minded folks will really pull together in the mid-terms and send a message to the Reps by staying home in droves.

Let the voters exercise their own nuclear option.

[clintonh8r]

We should have de-funded this crap when we had the chance.

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

The proof is that she could only point to one feature of the station that had something she could deem as "not extremely Leftist" and therefore must be conservative.

What about all the other programs? Except for that guy in the Canadian wilderness, Proenecke. I love watching that.

But I change the channel when the commercials come on, just like I do for all the networks.

[FROGTOWN CONSERVATIVE]

"Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned"

[bannie]

Yea...and I'm not fat.

HEY, I LIKE this game! Is that all I had to do to be thin?

[JewishRighter]

Presto Chango! Isn't it great!

[Pharmboy]

"Hey--PBS--you need your head examined! Nyuk nyuk nyuk..."

[bannie]

Heck, I'm gonna' go out and buy me a whole new wardrobe!

:-D

[JewishRighter]

ROTFL! Ya know, Larry bears a striking resemblence to Moyers. Wonder if they were ever seen together.

[mdittmar]

LoL,That's funny.

[LibFreeOrDie]

I remember her, too, as an anchoress/talk show hostess on WBZ-TV Boston decades ago.

Here's what keeps her busy these days - you can tell a lot from the company she keeps (from her PBS bio):

Ms. Mitchell is a member of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations and serves on the boards of United Way America, the Sundance Institute and the Women's Advisory Council of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

[NormsRevenge]

"PBS does not belong to any one political party," Pat Mitchell said.

---

PBiaS .. When you want the real scoop on what's going on in the liebral mind.

[Misterioso]

PBS is not biased. But all their employees are.

[hattend]

Not to mention they show commercials now, so whats the difference between PBS and every other media company?

A portion of their operating budget is from tax money is the difference. When they stop getting that funding, the right will shut up.

[JewishRighter]

LOL!!! Gaggle of loons indeed.

[JewishRighter]

Nice play on words. Great tag, too.

[FROGTOWN CONSERVATIVE]

Thanks for the expose. Typical of the chardonnay and Vineyard crowd..I wonder if the Swimmer had her? Bet?

[FierceDraka]

ROFLMAO!

Q: Know how to tell when a socialist is lying?
A: His mouth is open!

"Oh, pshaww! PBS biased? Hey! What's that over there?" (PBS exec scurries out the door when interviewer is distracted by her clever ruse)

PBS must be hiring the journalism school graduates whose grade point averages are too low to be employed by a for-profit business.

[Alouette]

Surveys show that the overwhelming majority of the public does not perceive bias in public broadcasting, she said.

And these surveys were a sample of what population? Oh yeah, the folks who watch or listen to public broadcasting.