[PEN-L:11052] Re: National Public Radio funding (endorsement letter)

[Wojtek Sokolowski <sokol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 03:29 PM 6/25/97 -0700, Raleigh Myers wrote:
>        This came to me from the communet and cyber-soc lists. I have sent
>the list cc to the addresses mentioned in the partition. You can just pass
>it along as stated.  Check out the cc list in my post as well as the
>communet fwd. and send it on to some one or lists who will cooperate..
>
>In Solidarity
>
>Raleigh


While I strongly support public broadcasting in principle, I also think that
the PBS/NPR complex is NOT worth saving.  During the past few years, these
institutions have become a publically funded mouthpiece of corporate
propaganda -- a stream of nauseatingly sugary stories how good capitalism is
around the world, bashing labor, and promoting yuppie lifestyle.  Their
latest decision to kill a TV documentary because it was partially supported
by the unions, while their entire operations is underwritten by corporate
money is a case in point.  Since when "public" means "corporate"?

PBS/NPR betrayed their public mandate, they have become a forum for
conservative pundits a la Heritage Foundation, and feature-length
advertisement for corporate interests, valuable to their corporate sponsors
precisely because of the aura of believability created by their "public"
status.  Of course, they are free to tailor they message to whatever tastes
they want, but I do not see any reason for public subsidizing (again) the TV
and radio broadcasting promoting corporate interests and suburban yuppie values.

Cutting public funding of NPR/PBS means eliminating public subsidiy of
corporate propaganda aimed the yuppie class and their values.  I think that
money will be better spent elsewhere.  All those who still consider
themselves progressive and opposing neo-liberal policies pimping public
goods to private interests should applaud the move in the Congress to defund
the NPR/PBS complex -- the traitor of public trust.





wojtek sokolowski
institute for policy studies
johns hopkins university
baltimore, md 21218
sokol@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
voice: (410) 516-4056
fax:   (410) 516-8233