Public Broadcasting Monitor Had Worked at Center Founded by Conservatives

NYTimes ^ | June 21, 2005 | STEPHEN LABATON

[fight_truth_decay]

A researcher retained secretly by the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to monitor the "Now" program with Bill Moyers for political objectivity last year, worked for 20 years at a journalism center founded by the American Conservative Union and a conservative columnist, an official at the journalism center said on Monday.

The decision by the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, to retain the researcher, Fred Mann, without the knowledge of the corporation's board, to report on the political leanings of the guests of "Now" is one of several issues under investigation by the corporation's inspector general.

At the request of two Democratic lawmakers, investigators are examining whether Mr. Tomlinson has violated any rules as he has sought, he says, to ensure that public television and radio provide greater program balance.

CUT

Mr. Tomlinson has said his top choice for the job is Patricia Harrison, an assistant secretary of state and a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. He has said that Ms. Harrison would have strong credibility with the White House and with Republicans in Congress, some of whom are threatening to cut the corporation's budget substantially.

CUT

Until last year, Mr. Mann worked at the National Journalism Center, which for the last few years has been run by the Young America's Foundation. The foundation describes itself on its Web site as "the principal outreach organization of the conservative movement" and as being committed to the ideas of "individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise and traditional values."

The Young America's Foundation shares some top officials with its politically active counterpart, Young Americans for Freedom, although the two are separate entities.

[fight_truth_decay]

In advance of a meeting Monday of the CPB board, Democrats Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.), Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Frank R. Lautenberg (N.J.) sent a letter to Tomlinson, the CPB chairman, expressing "serious concerns about reports of your interference in the programming decisions and governance" of the agency, which distributes federal funds to public broadcasters.

The Times conveniently omitted that Tomlinson was "appointed to the CPB board by President Bill Clinton and to the top job by President Bush. Tomlinson has made ideological balance on PBS and National Public Radio a central theme of his tenure at a time when broadcasters in the field are primarily occupied with possible large cuts in federal funding. The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a 25 percent cut [oh oh!] in the CPB's budget for next year," reported the Washington Post.

This is the [State Dept.] photo the Washington Post chose to use of Former GOP co-chairman Patricia de Stacy Harrison, candidate to the CPB's new chief executive position.

Patricia de Stacy Harrison was the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. Harrison instituted "Partnerships for Learning" a long-term effort to engage the successor generation in a dialogue for greater understanding through academic and professional exchange programs, which includes a $10 million youth initiative focused on the Muslim world. Assistant Secretary Harrison oversees the resumption of the Fulbright Program in Afghanistan and Iraq, and she launched an ongoing series of exchanges with both countries. As an entrepreneur, author and political leader, she has over 20 years' experience in communication strategy and coalition and constituency building. As founder and president of the National Women's Economic Alliance, she worked to identify women and minorities for leadership roles in business and politics. Assistant Secretary Harrison is the author of the books A Seat At The Table and America's New Women Entrepreneurs. These are her credentials carefully or should I say often selectively omitted in the mainstream media.

Feb. 4, 2004: Below, Assistant Secretary Harrison (left) presents a donated Dell laptop computer to Iraqi Fulbright student Lazha Talat, who is among the first Fulbright students from Iraq to the United States in more than 14 years. State Dept. photo.

Chair Tomlinson Personally Ordered Monitoring of Moyer’s ‘NOW’

The New York Times is reporting that investigators at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are examining more than $14,000 in payments made under contract to a man who compiled reports on the political views and backgrounds of guests appearing on the PBS program NOW with Bill Moyers. The paper says that the corporation's Republican chairman, Kenneth Tomlinson, took the unusual step of signing the contracts personally. The inspector general is looking at the contracts signed by Tomlinson with a man named Fred Mann to monitor the political leanings of "Now." Mann was listed in the contracts as living in Indianapolis and officials at the corporation said they knew nothing about him. The inquiry was requested by two Democrats, Representatives John Dingell of Michigan and David Obey of Wisconsin, after they learned about the monitoring. The Inspector General is also investigating $15,000 in payments to two Republican lobbyists last year that were not disclosed to the corporation's board. The Times says that one of the lobbyists was retained at the direction of Tomlinson and the other at the suggestion of his Republican predecessor, who remains on the board.

[Mister Baredog]

It's a real scandal to the NY Times if a conservative or Republican does ANYTHING they don't APPROVE.

Being critized by them indicates when one is on the right track IMO.

[kjo]

Never believe fully in anything you read in the New York Times. They always, always, lie at least in what they don't tell you. It is one of the many voices of the DNC.

[kjo]

Never believe fully in anything you read in the New York Times. They always, always, lie at least in what they don't tell you. It is one of the many voices of the DNC.

[America's Resolve]

In advance of a meeting Monday of the CPB board, Democrats Byron L. Dorgan (N.D.), Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Frank R. Lautenberg (N.J.) sent a letter to Tomlinson, the CPB chairman, expressing "serious concerns about reports of your interference in the programming decisions and governance" of the agency, which distributes federal funds to public broadcasters.

If PBS/NPR is so ideologically unbalanced that there's not room for a conservative on the board or making programming decisions, then i want its funding cut to nothing.

I don't want MY tax dollars spent getting the libs brainwashing out!

[thoughtomator]

So a conservative having any role in journalism is a scandal, but where is the examination of the other side of the political divide?

[em2vn]

CPB has an inspector general? A tad bit odd I think.

[Wuli]

Defund NPR and CPB entirely. Broadcasters who can't make it by creating programs that either people or adverisers will pay for need to get another profession.

All the "important stuff" that they say nobody else in broadcasting does is done in other venues; like live theatre and concerts, live art exhibits and books - all of which people are willing to pay for.

The only really "most important" aspect of NPR/CPB work is their own arrogant sense of their own self-importance.

Go sell it to someone who will buy it.

[fight_truth_decay]

Those tax dollars actually help support administrative costs,salaries, etc.. for this campaign - worth the read.

PBS Stations Use Airwaves to Enlist Viewers to Fight CPB Cuts

[D-fendr]

Had he worked at the Brookings Institute, the NYT would be touting his credentials.