Pubcasters remind Congress of the "firewall"

As Latino interest groups and politicians took their complaints about Ken Burns' The War to corporate sponsors last week, top execs from pubcasting's G-4 signed a joint statement on CPB's role in protecting public TV and radio from political interference in program content. "[A]ny attempt by the government or interest groups to influence content, especially before a program has aired, raises serious Constitutional, statutory and policy concerns...," wrote leaders of CPB, PBS, APTS and NPR. "[A]s we reaffirm our commitment to the mission of public broadcasting at its 40th anniversary, we urge Congress not to forsake this ideal."