Advertisement

May 7, 2007

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."