PBS Chief Admits Liberal Bias

Yes, it's PBS, so we shouldn't be too surprised of an admission of liberal bias, but admission is so frank, so out there, that it's stunning.

In an LATimes story about the "gentle" series Postcards from Buster and its tale of two lesbian moms, which was pulled after being criticised by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, PBS president Pat Mitchell bemoans the criticism PBS has received from liberals angry at the cancellation:

"They are our natural allies and friends," Mitchell said by phone from PBS headquarters in Alexandria, Va. "I'd expect them to be more understanding. The sad thing is, the people who want to see public television get better resources are hardly helping by participating in this kind of debate."

Translation: Shut up and send money to your ally.

Also raising liberal rancor are PBS efforts to be at least a little "fair and balanced:"

These critics say PBS went overboard in 2004 to placate the Bush administration, trimming "Now," the show founded by the now-retired Bill Moyers as a bastion of free-ranging liberal inquiry, from an hour to 30 minutes, and putting on the air conservative commentators John McLaughlin, Tucker Carlson and Paul Gigot. The question now, according to FAIR, a left-leaning media watchdog group, is who will balance them.

"What's been lost is the idea that public broadcasting should operate independent of political pressure," said Peter D. Hart, a public opinion analyst and FAIR's activism director.

Translation: "Independence" means use everyone's money to talk about my way, and my way only.