Category Archives: PBS

Debating the Big Issues, NewsHour Style

Posted on 06/10/2011 by Peter Hart

One of the most common criticisms of the PBS NewsHour is that it too often mimics the elite bias of the commercial media. A recent broadcast of the NewsHour (6/8/11) had two segments about the debate over the Afghan War–the … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Economy, PBS | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Democracy Now!: Moyers on the Media

Posted on 06/08/2011 by Steve Rendall

Bill Moyers appeared on Democracy Now! this morning (6/8/11) to discuss his new book about his days at PBS, The Conversation Continues. Interviewed for the hour by anchors Any Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, Moyers said, "The consensual seduction of the … Continue reading →

Posted in PBS | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Bill Moyers' Worst Hour Is Charlie Rose's Typical Show

Posted on 06/03/2011 by Peter Hart

On the Daily Show on June 1, Bill Moyers talked about the types of outsider guests he preferred to interview on his TV show. As he put it at one point: "The worst hour that I ever put on, was … Continue reading →

Posted in PBS | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

Bill Moyers and Tavis Smiley on Public TV's Elite Bias

Posted on 05/17/2011 by Peter Hart

Bill Moyers on the Tavis Smiley Show (5/13/11), talking about the elite bias in the media: Television, including public television, rarely gives a venue to people who have refused to buy into the ruling ideology of Washington. The ruling ideology … Continue reading →

Posted in PBS | Tagged , | 40 Comments

Donald Trump's Mysterious Control of the Media

Posted on 04/28/2011 by Peter Hart

Some mystical power forces the corporate mediato cover Donald Trump. In the New York Times today: But White House officials concluded about a month ago that the falsehoods had moved from "the nether regions of the Internet" into the mainstream … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, Election, New York Times, PBS, Washington Post | Tagged , , | 27 Comments

NewsHour Not Changing Just Yet

Posted on 03/30/2011 by Peter Hart

FAIR's alert on the NewsHour's limited debate on Libya hasn't sparked any immediate changes at the program. From last night's broadcast: JUDY WOODRUFF: For more on Libya and the president's speech, we get the views of two senators. Rhode Island … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, PBS | 2 Comments

Action Alert: On Libya, NewsHour Looks Like State TV

Posted on 03/29/2011 by Jim Naureckas

The bombing of Libya has sharply divided public opinion, but the PBS NewsHour has avoided a wide-ranging debate by overwhelmingly featuring the views of current and former government and military officials. If you'd like to see a more diverse group … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, Media Activism, PBS | Tagged | 33 Comments

Public TV and Libya: Govt. Officials, Current and Former

Posted on 03/24/2011 by Peter Hart

Last night (3/24/11) Jim Lehrer introduced a NewsHour discussion segment about the Libya War: Now, how it looks to two former U.S. senators, Democrat Gary Hart of Colorado and Republican Norm Coleman of Minnesota. Senator Hart is now a scholar … Continue reading →

Posted in Libya, PBS | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Rose Hearts Huckabee: 'Public' TV on Wisconsin Protests

Posted on 03/04/2011 by Peter Hart

The Charlie Rose show–which airs mostly on public television stations–has mostly skipped the protests in Wisconsin, one of the biggest labor stories of the past decade. This is not a total surprise–Rose seems to identify with The Bosses more than … Continue reading →

Posted in Labor, Media Criticism, PBS | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

The Right Way to Support a Friendly Dictator…er, 'Strongman'

Posted on 02/07/2011 by Peter Hart

From the Friday broadcast of the PBS NewsHour (2/4/11) came a discussion about how the U.S. supports dictators–which elicited some chuckles. Remember, Mark Shields is the one who plays the "left" on the program. MARK SHIELDS: Just one little point … Continue reading →

Posted in Egypt, Media Criticism, MSNBC, PBS | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Egypt 'Experts' on 'Public' Television

Posted on 02/04/2011 by Peter Hart

There have been some interesting, informativeTV coverage of Egypt. And then there was last night's Charlie Rose (2/3/11), with special guestsTom Friedman and Henry Kissinger.

Posted in Egypt, PBS | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Defining a Dictatorship: The U.S. Role in Egypt

Posted on 01/28/2011 by Peter Hart

Yesterday (FAIR Blog, 1/27/11) the Washington Post tried to argue that U.S. policy under the Obama administration has shifted to one of open support for pro-democracy movements in Egypt and Tunisia. There was little, if any, evidence to support this … Continue reading →

Posted in New York Times, PBS | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

Great Moments in Public TV, SOTU Edition

Posted on 01/26/2011 by Peter Hart

From the post-State of the Union discussion on the Charlie Rose Show (1/25/11): CHARLIE ROSE: With respect to his base, where are they tonight? They listened to him move to the center– JOHN SUNUNU: On the Upper West Side. JOHN … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, PBS | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Charlie Rose Talks China with Kissinger

Posted on 01/20/2011 by Peter Hart

With Chinese leader Hu Jintao in Washington, you got some of what you might expect inright wing media outlets–Rush Limbaugh doing a fake Chinese accent, and Bill O'Reilly opening his Fox show last night with crack about a Chinese dinner … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, PBS | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Antiwar Public Unrepresented on Public TV

Posted on 12/17/2010 by Peter Hart

In FAIR's recent study of the PBS NewsHour, we found that discussions of the Afghan War were incredibly narrow–no opponents ofa war that isbroadly unpopular among the American public were allowed to make their case. Last night's NewsHour (12/16/10) offered … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, PBS, War/Military | Tagged | 29 Comments