Sparks fly at PBS hearing
By Paige Albiniak -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/11/2002 7:20:00 AM
Public broadcasting was back on the hot seat in front of Congress Wednesday, this time with National Public Radio catching flak from Republicans for what they called "inappropriate" reporting about the Traditional Values Coalition, a conservative Christian organization.
In general, the TVC finds NPR's reporting to be liberally biased, TVC executive director Andrea Lafferty said. But the TVC has been specifically upset with NPR since early last winter.
Last January, the TVC received a call from NPR reporter David Kestenbaum, who was looking into comments by federal investigators that right-wing groups were possible suspects in the October anthrax attacks on Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). Kestenbaum remembered a press release the TVC issued in August 2001 complaining that the senators supported removing the words "so help me God" from swearings-in.
That press release led Kestenbaum to call the TVC and ask if the group "had been contacted by the FBI yet," Lafferty said. Lafferty immediately issued a press release about Kestenbaum's phone call: "National Public Radio is the broadcast arm of the liberal establishment," it said.
Three weeks later, NPR ran a story that included the following: "One group who had a gripe with Daschle and Leahy is the Traditional Values Coalition, which, before the attacks, had issued a press release criticizing the senators for trying to remove the phrase `so help me God' from the oath. The Traditional Values Coalition, however, told me the FBI had not contacted them and then issued a press release saying NPR was in the pocket of the Democrats and trying to frame them."
The appearance of the story further upset the TVC, which said NPR was accusing it of attempted murder. NPR president Kevin Klose apologized publicly to Lafferty during the hearing, but Lafferty said this was not enough and called for an end to all federal funding of NPR.
Members were split down party lines over the complaint.
House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Billy Tauzin (R-La.) said the incident causes him to feel "conflicted" about public broadcasting and gives him the "feeling that there is not necessarily objective coverage all the time."
Meanwhile, Democrats were steadfast in their support of public broadcasting and called for additional federal funding for the service.
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