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Date sent: Fri, 12 Nov 1999 18:27:45 -0500
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From: FAIR-L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [FAIR-L] ALERT: Does PBS Consider Women Part of the Public?
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and news reports
ACTION ALERT:
DOES PBS CONSIDER WOMEN PART OF THE PUBLIC?
Biased Series Spurs Meeting With PBS;
FAIR Organizes Feminist Coalition for National Campaign
November 12, 1999
On November 9, 1999, representatives from a national coalition of over 30
feminist, progressive groups and individuals--including Barbara
Ehrenreich, Gloria Steinem, the National Organization for Women, the
Feminist Majority Foundation, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and
a variety of women and men from the labor, black, Latina and South Asian
grassroots communities--met with PBS to discuss why a recent anti-feminist
series was presented by the network as impartial journalism. Of
particular concern was that the series aired in the context of a PBS
lineup that, overall, under-represents women and people of color.
Organized by FAIR's Women's Desk, the Feminist Coalition on Public
Broadcasting emerged in response to a three-part documentary on the
"gender wars" that PBS distributed last April as part of its National Desk
public affairs series. The show claimed it sought to address whether
women's rights could be advanced without "a retreat" on the part of men,
and stated that efforts to achieve gender equity had created "a time bomb
ticking at the foundation of our society." Episode titles included "The
War on Boys" and "Title IX & Women in Sports: What's Wrong With This
Picture?"
Largely funded by right-wing foundations, the series was filled with
inaccuracies and misinformation, and presented a relentlessly anti-woman,
anti-feminist perspective--yet it was packaged by PBS as impartial
journalism.
In the November 9 meeting, representatives from the Coalition conveyed
their concern that the "gender wars" series is only the latest evidence of
the larger imbalance in PBS programming, which routinely under-represents
women, people of color, gays and lesbians, and a whole host of public
interest groups. On behalf of its membership, the Coalition requested
that PBS:
* Adhere to a single set of programming guidelines, and make them
available to the public. (It is not clear how the ideologically driven
National Desk series met basic journalistic standards.)
* Support a series on gender equity hosted and produced by feminists,
equivalent in length and topical urgency to National Desk's series on the
"gender wars."
* Air at least one weekly news/public affairs program with a feminist,
progressive host. (There is no weekly progressive forum on PBS.)
* Outline a clear plan to increase the numbers of women and people of
color appearing as sources, guests and hosts on PBS shows.
During the meeting, PBS offered to send the Coalition a copy of its
programming guidelines, but would not explain how the National Desk
series--which featured experts and hosts whose work is funded by the same
groups that bankrolled the series--had met guidelines that, as PBS has
stated in the past, preclude even the "perception" of conflict of
interest.
PBS did concede, however, that the fact that some National Desk
underwriters--namely, the conservative John M. Olin, Lynde and Harry
Bradley, and Sarah Scaife foundations--have funded several PBS programs in
the past was a consideration in whether or not to distribute the "gender
wars" series.
Presented with the Coalition's careful documentation of the series'
factual inaccuracies (available online at
http://www.fair.org/feminist-coalition.html), PBS promised to launch its
own investigation of the matter. But when asked what mechanism was in
place to alert viewers when a broadcast like National Desk aired incorrect
information, Sandy Heberer, PBS's director of news and information
programming, said only, "We'll cross that bridge if we come to it." PBS
did not agree to revisit the topic of gender equity with a public affairs
series comparable to National Desk.
In response to the Coalition's suggestion that the network balance its
lineup with a progressive news or public affairs program, PBS stated that
while it was willing to entertain proposals for new programming, "talking
heads" shows did not represent a "growth area" for PBS. When the
Coalition clarified that it was not requesting more such shows, but a more
balanced spectrum of shows, PBS did not reply.
****
ACTION:
It is crucial that PBS hear loud and clear that the public supports the
Coalition's demands for fair representation and diversity, and rejects the
idea that shows like the National Desk series can be presented as
impartial news. Please call or write PBS today, both at their national
offices and at your local station.
As always, it pays to remember that letters are taken more seriously by
the
media if they maintain a calm, professional tone. Finally, it's a big help
to us if you send a copy of all your correspondence with PBS to us at
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
SEND LETTERS TO:
*PBS's national offices:
John Wilson, Vice President of Program Scheduling & Editorial Management
Public Broadcasting Service, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314
EMAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED], or fill out the form at
http://www.pbs.org/voice/emailform.htm PHONE: (703) 739-5000 FAX: (703)
739-0775
*Your local PBS station: http://www.pbs.org/stations/
(This web page lists all local station addresses, phone numbers and
emails.)
AND PLEASE CC US ON YOUR CORRESPONDENCE:
FAIR, 130 W 25th St., New York, NY 10001; FAX 212-727-7668; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*******
Detailed background on PBS and National Desk is available online at
http://www.fair.org/feminist-coalition.html
----------
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