Alarming: 'Was This Network Worth Saving? Pacifica Caves in to Smear Campaign' (Counterpunch)

[Mike Friedman <mikedf@xxxxxxxx>]

October 4, 2002

Was This Network Worth Saving?
Pacifica Caves in to Smear Campaign
by ROBERT BUZZANCO

On April 17, a program titled "Jewish Voices" [JV] aired on KPFT, a
Pacifica radio station in Houston, Texas. Just a few months into Pacifica's
"renaissance" after a California court victory had apparently returned the
network into progressive, and thus safe, hands, KPFT had aired many shows
that were absent in previous years. I myself had been on several times in
the first months of 2002, interviewing Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Phyllis
Bennis, Amy Goodman, Juan Gonzalez, Ed Herman, and Dan Coughlin (the
Executive Director of Pacifica), to name a few. Before that, for two years
I had been the co-host of "Progressive Forum," a weekly show hosted by
Wally James and dedicated to covering world affairs and local politics.

But the JV show was something quite different. Just moments after it began,
it became apparent that this show was pressing an aggressive Zionist
message. The guests included an official from the local Israeli consulate,
a Rabbi, and the executive director of the local chapter of the American
Jewish Committee, Donna de la Paz. The show was being produced by Stan
Merriman, an operator in KPFT politics and a local activist in the
Democratic Party. In the course of this program, it became clear that the
hosts were strident apologists for the Sharon government [an MP3 recording
of the show is available at http://www.acksisofevil.org, at section C, 2].
The worst part, however, was their treatment of callers. They cut off
people trying to disagree with them and would not allow opposing viewpoints
to be heard. I can't think of anything more antithetical to the Pacifica
mission than censoring callers who challenged the type of Zionist
propaganda that was being aired on that show.

I had my own program scheduled to air afterwards, beginning at noon. I
would be interviewing Vartkes Saatdjian, an official from the Venezuelan
consulate, who would be talking about the recently-failed coup against Hugo
Chavez. At around 11:50 or so, I went into the studio to prepare for my
program. With me were Mr. Saatdjian and Jay Galik, who would be running the
board that day. Also present were Steve Brightwell, the KPFT engineer,
Janice Blue and Jac Battise, both of whom have shows on KPFT, Scott Parkin,
a local activist who just happened to stop by to pick up camera from me,
and Jeff Wittig, a local attorney who was with Scott. In addition to those
seven was Greg Geiselman, a member of the KPFT Local Advisory Board [LAB]
and someone with whom I have had several conflicts regarding the mission of
KPFT. While I, and many many others in Houston, believe that KPFT should be
a "voice for the voiceless," Geiselman and Merriman and a few others accuse
KPFT of being "pro-Palestinian," they attack the Middle East coverage of
Dennis Bernstein and others, and they want equal credence given to the
Zionist position.

With my show slated to begin at noon, I became concerned that the JV show
was running over. It was about 11:55 or so and they were still taking
calls, and cutting off the callers. I began to express my concern about the
time of the show and Geiselman confronted me, telling me I was being rude
to KPFT's "guests." The JV hosts were still in the studio at this time, now
almost noon, and Geiselman and I began to shout at each other, with me
telling him that apologists for the terror regime of Ariel Sharon were
hardly "guests." Finally, Brightwell intervened, and from a microphone in
the engineering room cut in and said that the show was over. It was past
noon by now. I was in a hurry to get on the air, so I grabbed Mr. Saatdjian
and gave him instructions [sit to my right and put on the headphones . . .]
and then talked to Jay Galik about our introductory music [The Clash's
"Washington Bullets"] and I instructed him to play a station identification
to buy a few more seconds. Saatdjian and I went into the studio and after
the song ended I said "Welcome to KPFT. This is Bob Buzzanco on 'Open
Journal.' That was the Clash singing 'Washington Bullets' which is an
appropriate song because today Washington's bullets are helping to kill
women and children, doctors and ministers, clergy in Palestine. You're
listening to KPFT?the voice of the dispossessed and voiceless. The past
hour you may have thought you were listening to Fox as we had on apologists
for the terrorist state of Israel. We're reverting to regular Pacifica
programming right now."

And then the firestorm hit!

Even before my program ended, Geiselman, Merriman and other local Zionists
were beginning a campaign of slander and smears that continues to this day.
While I was doing my interviews they went to the station manager, Duane
Bradley, and complained about my on-air comments, claiming that I was
trying to speak for KPFT with my final comment about "regular Pacifica
programming." But, according to eyewitness Janice Blue, that was their only
complaint. Later, however, they came back and related another charge to
Bradley, one they had not mentioned at any point earlier. I had, they
claimed, used an racial epithet against the JV hosts as they left the
studio. According to Donna de la Paz, I "hissed" at her the slur "You Jews"
as she walked out. In over two decades as an activist and scholar, with an
extensive record of publishing and public speaking, I have not used racial
or ethnic slurs, and anyone who knows me is aware of that. Moreover, as an
American radical, it would be ignorant to attacks Jews given their
historical role in radical politics, from Emma Goldman through Sidney
Hillman, Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn and up to Amy Goodman today. The
allegations were preposterous.

The clear truth is that I was focused on my guest and my board operator and
was paying no attention whatsoever to the JV hosts as they left the studio.
I said nothing to de la Paz, and I could not pick her out of a lineup. No
one else on the JV show heard anything. And there were the seven witnesses
mentioned above besides myself who have testified that I said nothing.
However, after the fact, Geiselman, with whom I'd been arguing, claimed
that he heard me say this. Geiselman, however, claims that I followed the
JV hosts into the lobby and yelled it at de la Paz, whereas de la Paz
herself claims I said it as I passed the JV group going into the studio.
So, one would think, having seven eyewitnesses testifying that I said
nothing, while there were two people, with different agendas and
conflicting stories, charging that I used a slur would be overwhelming
proof that this allegation was false, and the whole episode should have
ended there.

But, because of the persistence of the Zionist slanderers and the craven
approach of KPFT and Pacifica's national leadership, a long-term smear
campaign had just begun.

[continues...]
http://www.counterpunch.org/


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