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The Decline and Fall of Public Broadcasting | Excerpt
Public radio and public television enjoy “liberal” reputations, but if you come to the evidence without prejudice, you'll overwhelmingly find that's simply not the case. On PBS, for instance, the established, syndicated programs include “Wall $treet Week,” “Washington Week in Review,” “The Nightly Business Report,” “NewsHour with Jim Lehrer,” which is on every night of the week, “The Charlie Rose Show,” which is also on nightly, “Tony Brown's Journal,” “Ben Wattenburg’s Think Tank,” and “Talking Money with Jean Chatzky.” The official name of “Masterpiece Theatre” is actually “ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre.”
The longest running program in public affairs in PBS history was William Buckley’s “Firing Line,” which was aired for more than three decades. The program was mercifully discontinued in 2000. John McLaughlin, formerly of the right-wing National Review magazine, occupies a unique place on PBS. He has not one, but two shows: “The McLaughlin Group” and “One on One.” How this man commands two public affairs programs on PBS is mind-boggling. Though he has little talent other than his penchant for bombast, his ability to attract long-time corporate funding from General Electric and Archer Daniels Midland is undoubtedly a factor in his prominence at PBS. On public radio—including not only NPR, but also Public Radio International—you hear business programs like “Marketplace” and “Sound Money.” Guest commentators on “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition” are far more likely to come from the right than the left. Content analysis of these programs will definitely reveal a bias, but not in the liberal direction. It’s decidedly conservative. According to a study done by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), “Representatives of organized citizen groups and public interest experts made up only 7 percent of NPR sources—about the same found in earlier FAIR studies of ‘Nightline’ and ‘MacNeil/Lehrer.’” A decade or so ago the likes of Erwin Knoll, Michael Harrington, and Molly Ivins were regular commentators on NPR and PBS. Where are comparable voices today?
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