Cheat-Seeking Missles

Thursday, June 23, 2005

PBS Is Using Your Money To Lobby

More than 100 of the 145 member stations of the Association of Public Television Stations, public television's lobbying arm, have run spots on their stations, used talk radio programs, and posted items on their web sites decrying proposed cuts to their federal subsidies. A majority of the 780 public radio stations that are members of National Public Radio have done the same. (source)

That's our airtime they're using. Did you tell them that it's all right with you if they use resources we paid for with our tax dollars to try to undermine the directives of the administration we elected? Didn't think so.

The only way their messages will be effective is if they:
  1. Identify the source of their problem, which they will define as the Bush Administration
  2. Say the Administration is wrong
  3. Urge their faithful listeners, who are primarily liberal, to take action against the Administration.
That is not appropriate use of public funds, and the arrogance of the public broadcasters in undertaking this shows that they are, in fact, biased. There can be no room for bias in publicly funded media, and there can be no media without bias. That's just a fact of human nature.

There may have been a legit reason for PBS back when there were only three networks, but now with cable, Internet, satellite and a plethora of news sources, the public can find a news channel that meets their information needs.

The solution is to cut the CPB budget not by 25% but by 100%.