[Mb-hair] This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS

[Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org]

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=5663-615480-BrmD5p6zEZN1_qiASPVCow&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=5663-615480-BrmD5p6zEZN1_qiASPVCow&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

Sources:

1. "Public Broadcasting Targeted By House," Washington Post, June 10, 2005
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

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

________________

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