RADAR Alert: Tell PBS Stations that PBS' Whitewash Doesn't Mean 'Breaking the Silence' is Unbiased

A few days before Christmas, PBS finally issued their statement on
Breaking the Silence: Children's Stories. (See
http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20051221_breakingthesilence.html)
PBS' statement gives their affiliated stations a green light to
continue airing this biased program.

Click "Read more..." for more.

In the statement, PBS says, “The producers approached the topic with
the open mindedness and commitment to fairness that we require of our
journalists.” To make this assertion, they had to completely ignore
their own ombudsman's opinion that “this particular program had almost
no balance” and the CPB ombudsman's opinion that the producers' stated
intention to exclude any alternative view “amounts to a plea of guilty
to violating the fairness and balance standards of PBS”. (See
http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2005/12/introduction_and_breaking_the_silence.html
and http://www.cpb.org/ombudsmen/051219bode.html)

PBS also claims that the producers' research “was extensive and
supports the conclusions drawn in the program,” in spite of their
having received a detailed analysis, which shows that the research
cited by the program's creators does not support the program's message
(http://www.fathersandfamilies.org/Publications/BTS/BTSResearchCritiqueWithComments.pdf)
One has to wonder if they even bothered to read the analysis, or if
they decided early on to support the producers' research no matter
what.

PBS' implicit message to their affiliates is that there's nothing
wrong with them broadcasting this biased program. So this week we're
asking you to contact your local PBS affiliate with the message:

The PBS Ombudsman has described Breaking the Silence as
“a one-sided, advocacy program”. The CPB Ombudsman has called the
producers guilty of violating the fairness and balance standards of
PBS. Affiliates that want to maintain the public's trust in their
commitment to PBS' own fairness and balance standards should refrain
from rebroadcasting Breaking the Silence.

To find your local PBS affiliate:

1. Go to http://www.pbs.org/stationfinder/index.html and
   enter your zip code, or
2. Look in your local telephone directory

Date of RADAR Release: January 2, 2006

R.A.D.A.R. – Respecting Accuracy in Domestic Abuse Reporting – is a
network of concerned men and women working to assure that the problem
of domestic violence is treated in a balanced and effective manner: http://www.mediaradar.org/.

NOTICE: This story was migrated from the old software that used to run Mensactivism.org. Unfortunately, user comments did not get included in the migration. However, you may view a copy of the original story, with comments, at the following link:

http://news.mensactivism.org/articles/06/01/03/1031215.shtml