On the dangers of crying wol(o)f

[Laurence Horn]

Note the subject line below.  This relates to Wilson's earlier
forwarding--I've read about this proposal in the Times, and between
that coverage and the message below, I don't *think* that this is
just another recirculation of the same old spam.  (True, a House vote
to cut off NPR/PBS doesn't mean the Senate will go along, but it is
probably a real danger this time, especially given other
Congressional and Administration assessments on what our nation can
afford and what we can't.)

Larry

--- begin forwarded text


Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 09:34:03 -0700
From: "Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org" <moveon-help at list.moveon.org>
To: "Larry Horn" <laurence.horn at yale.edu>
Subject: This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS

A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and
PBS, starting with "Sesame Street." This would be the most severe cut
in the history of public broadcasting. NPR and PBS are under attack,
but Americans trust them over the commercial networks. Sign the
petition to save NPR, PBS and our local public stations from losing
their funding.

<>
Dear MoveOn member,

You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how
Congress is slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it's actually
true. (Really. Check the footnotes if you don't believe us.)

A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and
PBS, starting with "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and other
commercial-free children's shows. If approved, this would be the most
severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull
the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:

<>http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-191543-4dzKy_puPpx2CZzhUmX1BQ&t=3

If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we'll put
Congress on notice. After you sign the petition, please pass this
message along to any friends, neighbors or co-workers who count on
NPR and PBS.

The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year-$100
million-and end funding altogether within two years.1 In particular,
the loss could kill beloved children's shows like "Sesame Street,"
"Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Arthur" and "Postcards from Buster."
Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might not
survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate sponsorships.

This shameful vote is only the latest partisan assault on public TV
and radio. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which exists to
shield public TV and radio from political pressure, is now chaired by
Kenneth Tomlinson, a staunch Republican close to the White House.
Tomlinson has already forced one-sided conservative programs on the
air, even though Tomlinson's own surveys show that most people
consider NPR "fair and balanced" and they actually trust public
broadcasting more than commercial network news.2

Tomlinson also spent taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to root out
"liberal bias," including a secret investigation of Bill Moyers and
PBS' popular investigative show, "NOW." Even though the public paid
for the investigation, Tomlinson has refused to release the findings.3

The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money
in the budget-they're trying to decimate any news outlets who
question those in power. This is an ideological attack on our free
press.

Talk about bad timing. Every day brings another story about media
consolidation. Radio, TV stations and newspapers are increasingly
controlled by a few massive corporate conglomerates trying to
maximize profits at the expense of quality journalism. Now more than
ever, we need publicly funded media who will ask hard questions and
focus on stories that affect real people, instead of Michael Jackson
and the runaway bride.

As the House and Senate consider this frightening effort to kill
public broadcasting, they need to hear from its owners-you.

<>http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-191543-4dzKy_puPpx2CZzhUmX1BQ&t=4

Thank you for all you do,

-Noah, Wes, Jennifer, Eli and the MoveOn.org Team
   Tuesday, June 14th, 2005

P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from
our friends at Free Press at:

<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748>http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748

Sources:

1. "Public Broadcasting Targeted By House," Washington Post, June 10, 2005
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745>http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745

2. "CPB's 'Secrets and Lies': Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls
Revealing Broad Public Support for PBS and NPR," Center for Digital
Democracy, April 27, 2005
<http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746>http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746

3. "Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases," New
York Times, May 2, 2005
<http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm>http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm



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