Posted on 04/17/2006 6:24:18 PM PDT by nickcarraway
It is impossible to debate a subject like genocide without giving offense. PBS is supposed to give offense responsibly.
And that was the idea behind a panel discussion that PBS planned to show after tonight's broadcast of "The Armenian Genocide," a documentary about the extermination of more than one million Armenians by the Turkish Ottoman Empire during World War I.
The powerful hourlong film will be shown on most of the 348 PBS affiliate stations. But nearly a third of those stations decided to cancel the follow-up discussion after an intense lobbying campaign by Armenian groups and some members of Congress.
The protesters complained that the panel of four experts, moderated by Scott Simon, host of "Weekend Edition Saturday" on NPR, included two scholars who defend the Turkish government's claim that a genocide never took place. The outrage over their inclusion was an indication of how passionately Armenians feel about the issue; they have battled for decades to draw attention to the genocide.
But the fact that so many stations caved is a measure of something else: PBS's growing vulnerability to pressure and, perhaps accordingly, the erosion of viewers' trust in public television.
The camera lends legitimacy, but as Senator Joseph R. McCarthy's performance on Edward R. Murrow's "See It Now" famously showed, it also can undermine credibility. Panel discussions in particular give people with outlandish views a hearing — and also an opportunity to expose the flaws in their arguments.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
When did PBS become responsible for anything?
I was unable to read the whole article. Are there people who actually defend the Armenian genocide, or just deny that it happened?
The line goes like, "Well, sure some Armenians died, but nobody talks about how many Turkish muslims died in WWI!"
How turkey think it can become a modern nation without making sense of this tragedy is beyond me.
True. No one (that I'm aware of) is calling on them to cede land or make financial compensation. They only need to acknowlege that their ancestors committed the atrocitiesthat everyone knows they committed.
It's muslims, so what can you expect? I don't know why people are finding it so surprising that either the muslims did it or that they're denying having done it now.
Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism etc, may teach their people that the others are wrong, they don't have the theology right. But they don't teach each other that the adherents are less than human.
Islam does. During the time of the genocide, a Christian's or woman's word in an official legal court of law, was exactly 1/2 of a muslim man's. And this isn't that far back, 1915. The only reason that the Turks ever changed this is because the Brits threatened severe retribution because of it.
But Islam can accept the word of a Jew or woman in a court of law as half of a muslim man's is because they see us as half a human.
We're ONLY infidels that they haven't gotten around to killing yet.
Dunno what's so difficult about it.
We live in a media beknighted culture. We all know who
Paris Hilton is, but don't know that greater than a
million Armenians were allowed to die in 1915. It was
reported as genocide by the American ambassador at the
time(Morgenthau).
And the folks who try to
educate us (PBS) give us half-a** information.
They could have had those Turkish apologist up there and
asked questions that would expose their false statements,
and demonstrate in real time why Armenians are still
angry at the current Turkish government. But no, they
show a "movie documentary" and that's supposed to give
the whole truth...then I am sure, some Turkish official
will blast the documentary (that will be covered) but the
rebuttals to the Turkish apology won't be. Typical inferior information
presentation of the major networks/PBS/ etc.
Also keep in mind the Turks were pretty bad even with respect to their fellow muslims. If you read T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom he speaks about the hatred the Arabs had towards the Turks. But like I said, from the perspective of a human being, how can you not want to make amends for something that horrific?
The genocide happened and was beyond a war crime.
The EU is suicidally insane to let these horrible creatures into their union.
Who ever trusted, or watched PBS? I will never let it darken my tv screen.
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