News reports say CPB chairman Ken Tomlinson gave $14,000 to his buddy Fred Mann to jot down the political angle of PBS and NPR shows. For those who want to read what all the media hype is about, NPR links to an Adobe Acrobat version of Mann's study. Now Tomlinson's reaping the whirlwind, under a barrage of criticism from the press and politicians, charging political interference and demanding his resignation.
Would it have made a difference if Tomlinson's content analysis had come from a more respectable source?
Maybe.
In 1992 Dr. Robert Lichter of The Center for Media and Public Affairs released a scientific study providing documentary evidence of a liberal bias in PBS documentaries. PBS and NPR supporters denounced that report, also.
Nevertheless, Congress reduced the appropriation for public broadcasting in the aftermath.