CPB's Kenneth Tomlinson Coordinating with White House Through Emails

FYI: Media Matters has a lot more information on this story.

www.mediamatters.org

Destroying PBS

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted June 20, 2005.

A Bush-appointed political operative says he'll erase bias at PBS ... by inserting bias.

snip~
The Bush administration is introducing a political agenda to public broadcasting. They are using the lame pretext that PBS is somehow liberal to justify it into a propaganda organ for the government. That is precisely what the board of CPB was set up to prevent 40 years ago; it is there to be a firewall between public broadcasting and political pressure. Ken Tomlinson is a disgrace to the purpose of that board, he has a political agenda and is engaging in a raw display of ideological bullying. The right-wingers in the House of Representatives are backing his power play with a threat to cut off funding for PBS entirely.
snip~
Tomlinson, himself a former head of Voice of America in the Reagan administration and a retired editor Reader's Digest, has been an active right-winger since I first met him in 1974. He is also the Bush-appointed chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other official arms of the government's propaganda machine. He is a Bush information apparatchik. It is quite clear he believes PBS and NPR should also function as cheerleaders for the government.

read more~
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/22262/

Bill Moyers Responds to CPB's Tomlinson Charges of Liberal Bias: "We Were Getting it Right, But Not Right Wing"

May 16th, 2005

BILL MOYERS: The story I’ve come to share with you goes to the core of our belief that the quality of democracy and the quality of journalism are deeply entwined. I can tell this story because I’ve been living it. As Dr. Wilson said, it’s been in the news this week, including more tax on a single journalist, yours truly, by the right wing media and their friends at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. As you know, CPB was established almost forty years ago to set broad policy for public broadcasting and to be a firewall between political influence and program content.
What some on its board are now doing today, led by its chairman, Kenneth Tomlinson, is too important, too disturbing, and yes, even dangerous for a gathering like this not to address it. We’re seeing unfold a contemporary example of the age old ambition of power and ideology to squelch -- to punish the journalist who tell the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable.

continue~
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/05/16/1329245

Did anyone else see the HUGE two-page ad that Bill Moyers has (paid for by freepress.net) in the Washington Post? It is in the print version, but maybe freepress will have it on their site later today.

It is powerful and compelling. Will it matter to the mainstream media who are shilling for the WH?

It matters if we get the truth out there. It is up to US.

New York Times is on the story:

Public Broadcasting Monitor Had Worked at Center Founded by Conservatives

By STEPHEN LABATON
WASHINGTON, June 20 - 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.

His critics, including some lawmakers and executives of public broadcasting, say he has sought to tilt the corporation, which provides $400 million to radio and television stations and producers, toward a conservative agenda.

One of Mr. Tomlinson's Democratic critics, Senator Frank R. Lautenberg of New Jersey, called on him to resign on Monday.

"As a result of your recent attempts to inject partisan politics into the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, I am writing to urge you to step down as chairman," Mr. Lautenberg wrote. "Your conduct has undermined the C.P.B. and its mission of quality public broadcasting free of political interference. Under current circumstances, with investigations of your conduct pending, it is hardly possible for you to effectively carry out your duties as chairman of the C.P.B."

continue here~
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/politics/21broadcast.html
or here~
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/21/politics/21broadcast.html?pagewanted=print

different topic, but also important:

"the Justice Department has argued that the United States' six largest tobacco companies lied about the dangers of smoking."

[So, Is anyone else out there wondering why]
"The Justice Department stunned anti-smoking activists and members of Congress two weeks ago by announcing in the closing days of the eight-month trial that the government would cut its demand for an industry-funded smoking-cessation program from $130 billion to $10 billion."

[here's a clue~ ]

Expert Says He Was Told to Soften Tobacco Testimony

By Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, June 20, 2005; Page A03

A top Justice Department official threatened to remove a government expert from its witness list if he did not water down his recommended penalties for the tobacco industry, the witness said in an interview yesterday.

continue here~
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/19/AR2005061900691.html

entire text of Bill Moyers essay in the WaPo, courtesy of TomPaine.com~

A Moral Transaction
Bill Moyers
June 20, 2005
http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050620/a_moral_transaction.php

Well, well, well... trouble in Paradise. The Bush White House is gradually losing its death grip on the media as these stories come out. Every day brings more dismal poll numbers, more investigation, more ethical questions, more sputtering denials and defense from the administration....

If the MSM won't do their job as an independent source of real information, then we have to. Keep it up.

Posted by: KerryOn62 at June 21, 2005 10:43 AM

Here here.

Nonpartisan government watchdog to investigate White House contracts with media

Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, told RAW STORY Tuesday morning that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has agreed to investigate possible contracts between various media and public relations entities and seven White House cabinet level departments.

"I am pleased to see the GAO has decided to move forward with my request for an investigation," Slaughter said in a release. "We deserve to know if the White House and its cabinet level departments have engaged in this outrageous abuse and manipulation of the free press."

The release, advanced to RAW STORY, follows, as does correspondence from the Government Accountability Office. The GAO says they will complete the report by October.

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Nonpartisan_government_watchdog_to_investigate_White_House_contracts_0621.html

from CNN yesterday:

Poll shows dissatisfaction with Iraq war
Approval rating for war on terrorism also slips

(CNN) -- Nearly six in 10 Americans oppose the war in Iraq and a growing number of them are dissatisfied with the war on terrorism, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

Only 39 percent of those polled said they favored the war in Iraq -- down from 47 percent in March -- and 59 percent were opposed.

continue~
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/20/poll/index.html

~more on topic of Kenneth Tomlinson & the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,
Published on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 by the Independent/UK

Republicans Take Aim at Their Small-Screen Enemies

by Rupert Cornwell in Washington/ Independent/UK

Democrats are in uproar over what they see as a naked attempt by Republicans to impose more conservative views on American public television and radio channels, notable for their sober and serious BBC-style reporting and analysis, but regarded by the right as a bastion of the detested "liberal media".

The attack is two-pronged, financial and managerial. Last week a House committee voted to slash the budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the supervisory agency for public television and radio, by 25 per cent, or $100m (£55m), to $300m.
snip~

Separately, Kenneth Tomlinson, the CPB chairman and a Republican, is said to be rushing through the appointment of Patricia Harrison as president and chief executive. Ms Harrison, a senior official at the State Department, has no broadcasting experience. She was however once co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.

continue~
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0621-02.htm

Karen,
Take a picture of it with your digital camera and post it here, if you can.

I have 1/2 hour on the internet (public library) while my mother gets her hair washed at the salon across the street for $2 - so I'd better use it wisely!

DiAnne,

Got your message last night, was at exercise class. Will call you tonight!

Truth Shall Prevail -

Super!

Here is Bert, with his "freedom fries" and you can see me with my "Help Us Chirac" shirt - we did this when I was in Minneapolis. This is our blog. Our story about protesting Bush may be up on IndyMedia by now - I'm not sure.

http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/

DiAnne,

I LOVE the shirt! Was thinking the other day it would have been too funny if I had had you pick me up a T-Shirt, and your Mom one, and we could have all worn them to coffee in red America! The natives here are restless, too, though, they'd all want one! Didn't know how to get you at Bert's. Enjoy your time with your Mom, see you soon!

Sorry - nothing on IndyMedia, nothing here

I'll try to check back in the next few days - splitting my time between tabloid tv (can't tell news channels from entertainment channels - they look the same) and reading history (right now really into the French/Algerian war).

We do not learn from our mistakes or those of older cultures. We still sacrifice citizens for resources and colonialism.

I'm also going to wear my "Hands Off Our Social Security" to Rotary Club.

GAO to Investigate White House Media Contracts:

from Rawstory

http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Nonpartisan_government_watchdog_to_investigate_White_House_contracts_0621.html

Truth Shall Prevail

I'm heading over to the hair salon & now I know how to walk to the library! Hope to see you - my mom doesn't believe in answering machines (too modern) but we don't stray far! On the agenda so far: Rotary Club, mental hospital, cemetery, funeral, truckstop. I'm very relaxed though!

Dean Answers Cheney's Barb About Mother

1 hour, 42 minutes ago

BOSTON - Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, responding to criticism from the vice president, said he doesn't "care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not."

The vice president said in a recent interview that Dean was not the type of person to lead a political party and mentioned the chairman's mother.

"I've never been able to understand his appeal. Maybe his mother loved him, but I've never met anybody who does. He's never won anything, as best I can tell," Cheney said in an interview on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."

Dean was elected governor of Vermont five times between 1992 and 2000.

snip~
Dean, in Boston on Monday for a fundraiser, told fellow Democrats that the party can win in traditionally Republican states.

"But we gotta be there and fight in order to do it. And believe me, we are going to fight back. I don't care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not. We are going to fight back," Dean said to cheers and applause. "I think it's great that Dick Cheney went after me, to be honest. At least they notice there's a Democratic Party that's not going to put up with this stuff any more. So there's a lot we're gonna do."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050621/ap_on_re_us/dean_cheney

re Bill Moyers-
He has a great article in the Summer 2005 issue of Reform Judasism tittled " a Shiver Down the Spine".
He can lead me!!!
Unfortunately article is not on site but I am trying to find out if it can be put on site....

Dept. of Justice is quietly shopping around to get ISPs to share customer's internet activity.

This is unbelievable.

http://news.com.com/Your+ISP+as+Net+watchdog/2100-1028_3-5748649.html

Direct from karen,

I'm standing here outdoors at the Cannon Building the three people I can see right now are Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Nita Lowey, and Congreswman Louise Slaughter. All are from N.Y.

There are also a number of adorable children carrying signs. And Senator Clinton sent a letter today to Senator Arlen Specter urging him to restore funding for childrens' programming. Rep. Jan Schakowsky just showed up (from Illinois).

And Clifford and a number of other characters showed up. More Later.

They have over 1 million signatures asking the Republican Congress to "keep your hands off childrens' programming!"

Rep. Ed Markey from MA is speaking. He says:

"Children can have their selection of Jerry Springer, Judge Judy, Days of our Lives (etc) and programs catering to adults but the childrens' programming on PBS with an educational purpose is now being considered dangerous.

We are going to save this programming and keep it on the air.

The GAO have determined 19% do not subscribe to cable. This network serves the poor. These kids are the future and we must give them access.

It is not a question if we can afford PBS, but whether we can NOT afford it.

We are going to fight the Republicans and we will not let them take away educational programming for children."

Hillary Clinton is up now.

She says:

"Every day I hear from concerned parents. Concerned about the violence. Very few of the stories on t.v. reflect their values. The national tv violence study reports 2/3 children are exposed to 6 acts of violence per hour."

Now speaking is Congressman John Dingell from Michigan:

"As a parent, I raised my children on public television and I'm proud of it. We have a mission! They are talking about cutting 200 million from public broadcast. We would much rather have our federal dollars go to big red dogs rather than fat cats!"

Earl Blunenauer is saying, "They are trying to make this a partison issue. It is a BI-PARTISON issue!"

Earl Blunenauer says, "The financial hits will be felt in small town America where the population base can not fill in the gaps with donations."

Barbara Boxer up now...

She says, "These cuts will insure a deficit of education for our young."

Frist says no new Bolton vote
Majority leader: 'We have to go back to the president'

Tuesday, June 21, 2005; Posted: 1:32 p.m. EDT (17:32 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced Tuesday that he won't schedule another vote on John Bolton's nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

In so doing, the Tennessee Republican acknowledged there was nothing further he could do to break a Democratic stalemate with the Bush White House over Bolton.

"That's been exhausted," Frist said a day after Democrats again blocked a vote on the floor on Bolton's nomination. It was the second time the minority party in the Senate mustered enough votes to prevent Bolton's confirmation process from advancing.

Asked about Frist's remarks, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "We'll continue to work with the Senate leadership."

Frist said that "at this juncture, we have to go back to the president and see what the decision he's going to make is."

He said scheduling a third vote now would be fruitless because Democrats will just keep stalling over information they are demanding from the White House.

"Whether it is politics or whatever their concerns are with, the goal posts constantly shifting. Bringing up another vote's not going to change anything," Frist said.

The White House earlier Tuesday has issued a new call for a vote on the nomination, accusing Democrats of being unwilling to compromise. "They're only interested in blocking this nomination from moving forward," McClellan said at the time.

Frist's comments intensified pressure on President Bush to either withdraw Bolton's nomination, appoint him to the post without Senate approval when Congress is in recess, or give ground to Democrats. They are insisting that the administration release more records on Bolton's use of classified information when he was the State Department's top arms control official.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/06/21/bolton.vote.ap/index.html

BREAKING NEWS

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist reverses himself, says he will push for Senate up or down vote on John Bolton's nomination as U.N. ambassador. Details soon.

(well THAT didn't take long...)

~whip-lash
Senator-Doc Frist is beginning to neet himself coming & going...Bu$h jerks the leash, Frist changes his mind..Again!
and they call PM Blair, Bu$h's poodle??

[the Senate Dems had better hang tough on this one]

Frist Reverses Himself, Pushes Bolton Vote

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Reversing field after a meeting with President Bush, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he will continue pushing for a floor vote on John R. Bolton for U.N. ambassador. Frist switched his position after initially saying Tuesday that negotiations with Democrats to get a vote on Bolton had been exhausted.
more~
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050621/ap_on_go_co/un_ambassador

Monkey and on to victory:

Looks as though the pressure will come from the White House on the Republican Senators to conform or die.

Are we ready for another virtual blogswarm to the fence-sitters of both parties to act right and do the right thing with the Bolton vote?

I'm willing to write (again), call (again), blogwhore (again)... whatever it takes to keep that lunatic Bolton out of the UN...

As dismal as our global standing is now, this guy has the unique ability to make it even worse. Only George Bush, being utterly devoid of realistic thought, could propose such a tunnel-visioned freak for this post now.

Failure of Leadership. Daily.

anyone on here think, as I do, that this is a prelude to the Nuclear Option? I think Bush wants the option pushed forward and pushed forward now, to suit the Repugs that he disappointed by allowing the so called "agreement" last month. The Bushies have been P.O'ed over that ever since, and I think Bolton is the guy they're going to insist on. They won't wait for a Supreme Court Justice to press their fight.

"Well, there it is folks, in case you had any doubt. Turns out Mr. Tomlinson was merely a pawn in the ongoing White House efforts to control the media." Posted by Victoria Ellen

Was there ever any doubt?

Is there no end to the reach of these greedy, power-hungry neocons? It seems that nothing, no one, anywhere, is safe from their dirty, grabbing fingers. And they stop at nothing. Are they omnipotent? Have they become god they claimed to be? Have we let them?

We need to send Cheney a message we detest his wife,and doesn't deserve to be 2nd Lady..how bout that for a rebuttal!! What a joke and snake in the grass this man has become,er'always was!!

It's time to start hitting the neocons where it hurts.

Let's start with an ad that outlines the escalating abortion rates since Bush took office. I've mentioned this fact, the increase, to a few Republicans, and they don't believe me. Many voted for Bush for that reason alone.

"Since President Bush took office, abortion rates have gone up X percent. It's time to reverse that trend. The Democrats have a plan to reduce the number of abortions per year...."

No mention of outlawing it. Just hammer home that BushCo is the real baby killer. They INCREASED abortions in America. Most moderate Republicans I know would be swayed by this alone to vote against another Republican.

Hammer it home: Neocons = more abortions. It's a fact.

Amy- yes they are omnipotent, right now, anyway. And no, we didn't let them. It was the other 51 percent of the American public that is lazy, unattentive, and brainwashed by all that "propaganda" that Bush now admits he sometimes has to repeat all of 3 times in a row before they can "get it." It's sad, but America really isn't all that bright. And this will not be a big issue- not if the media can have it's way. There's no way they'll admit to any bias whatever. I'm afraid Bill Moyers isn't a big enough celebrity to get their attention. Not when they don't want to get it. CNN is too busy being the network of the MWG. (Missing White Girl.) That's what America is really interested in.

Go Dean!!

And we have to forgive Cheney his ignorance about Dean's accomplishments. These neocons may be street smart, but they're short on real facts, every time.

Just ask Cheney how things are going in Iraq....

Hey Amy- come to think of it, maybe there is some hope. Bush used to only have to say it one time and they believed it. Even he admits that it now takes repetition to accomplish his brainwashing. That's a step forward.

What? A WHITE girl went missing???

Linda, did you hear Bush's weekly radio address, where he said that we invaded Iraq because we were attacked on 9/11? Americans can be forgiven for wanting to trust their president.... but presidents can't be let off the hook for lying to Americans. The fact is, Saudis attacked us, it's mostly Saudis who continue to attack us in the most convenient new location, Iraq, and the Iraqi people were in no position to threaten us at all.

BushCo exhibited exactly the kind of knee-jerk, fear-driven foreign policy that we needed to AVOID after 9/11. Completely devoid of wisdom or even the slightest bit of understanding of international affairs, and ignoring the advice of most who would know better, Bush dragged this country into what will be the undoing of America in this 21st century. He has destroyed our fiscal health and ruined our international standing in the process.

So we know that Sen Voinivich (R) will vote against Bolton...any other (R) Senators on record willing to buck the WH on this, or is Voinivich the only brave one?
I just checked contrary-Mary Landrieu's website again, and even though she voted with the Repubs to end debate on Bolton (twice), she still has the press release up saying she will vote NO on Bolton's confirmation. Contrary-Mary had better not give in to Bu$h-Rove pressure tactics!

Check out the photos on the new thread - thanks Karen!