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May 20, 2013 4:23 PM Subscribe
Not far enough.
Oh, shit, I read the title 5 times before I saw the word "Avoid". Man. What Old'n'Busted said.
posted by GuyZero at 4:38 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Oh, shit, I read the title 5 times before I saw the word "Avoid". Man. What Old'n'Busted said.
posted by GuyZero at 4:38 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
How far can establishment non-profits suck a golfball through a garden hose?
posted by klangklangston at 4:44 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by klangklangston at 4:44 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
I always figured the dearth of federal funding for public television (or radio, or public what-have-you) is bad because now you just can't produce as much. Until the article spelled it out, I hadn't realized it also means you're increasingly reliant on "gifts" from rich benefactors--and now you have a really strong incentive to self-censor and make sure never to piss them off.
posted by a birds at 4:45 PM on May 20, 2013 [20 favorites]
posted by a birds at 4:45 PM on May 20, 2013 [20 favorites]
In the United States (and most other places, as far as I know) we tend to take a dim view of dictatorships - too much power in one person's hands, and all that.
Why in the hell would you permit that much money to collect in one person's hands?
posted by Mooski at 4:48 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Why in the hell would you permit that much money to collect in one person's hands?
posted by Mooski at 4:48 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Why in the hell would you permit that much money to collect in one person's hands?
My understanding is that the only way to preserve freedom and democracy is to make sure that those things only reside in the hands of a very few people. If everyone had freedom and democracy, then there would hardly be enough to go around.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:53 PM on May 20, 2013 [33 favorites]
My understanding is that the only way to preserve freedom and democracy is to make sure that those things only reside in the hands of a very few people. If everyone had freedom and democracy, then there would hardly be enough to go around.
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:53 PM on May 20, 2013 [33 favorites]
A bit sickening to see that even though the article says David Koch resigned from the board of trustees at WNET, he's still on the board at WGBH.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:57 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by RonButNotStupid at 4:57 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
One of the films in question is available for viewing in its entirety on the PBS site (not sure if it works internationally--sorry). Got my evening viewing queued up.
posted by Kosh at 4:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by Kosh at 4:59 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
See also NPR and Planet Money.
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:04 PM on May 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 5:04 PM on May 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Sponsorship equals influence, film at 11.
Either America decides that we want no strings public financial support for a broadcast organization, or we're OK leaving it to individuals, at which point we have to accept biases sprouting from those wallets. The thing is, I'm sure everyone pissed about this also supports increasing governmental support for public broadcasting.
Somethingsomething free market of ideas, you guys.
posted by incessant at 5:11 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Either America decides that we want no strings public financial support for a broadcast organization, or we're OK leaving it to individuals, at which point we have to accept biases sprouting from those wallets. The thing is, I'm sure everyone pissed about this also supports increasing governmental support for public broadcasting.
Somethingsomething free market of ideas, you guys.
posted by incessant at 5:11 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
The thing is, I'm sure everyone pissed about this also supports increasing governmental support for public broadcasting.
Damn right; if they had a public broadcasting tax as a line item under income and medicare, I'd be good with that.
posted by Mooski at 5:20 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Damn right; if they had a public broadcasting tax as a line item under income and medicare, I'd be good with that.
posted by Mooski at 5:20 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Would withholding pledges put pressure on PBS to take systematic steps to reduce this corruption, like removing Shapiro from his position?
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:34 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 5:34 PM on May 20, 2013
Why in the hell would you permit that much money to collect in one person's hands?
Because if they earned it in the free market, they clearly deserve it as inherently superior beings, and as job creators, have the god given right to spend that money to mold society as they please without oversight by inferior government bureaucrats.
In this case, inheriting your Daddy's paper/petroleum products company-turned-mega-conglomerate counts as "earning" it "in the free market". Welcome to 'Murica.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:35 PM on May 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
Because if they earned it in the free market, they clearly deserve it as inherently superior beings, and as job creators, have the god given right to spend that money to mold society as they please without oversight by inferior government bureaucrats.
In this case, inheriting your Daddy's paper/petroleum products company-turned-mega-conglomerate counts as "earning" it "in the free market". Welcome to 'Murica.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:35 PM on May 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
This is weird; on the one hand I feel like the headline to this post is sensationalistic, but it's also not totally inaccurate.
Is "pummeling the lede" a phrase? I don't mean to criticize the poster directly, and I hope that it's intriguing enough to get people to RTFA.
Because there's a lot of valid and interesting questions here about PBS' agency in terms of this doc. And my first read is that there's nothing particularly egregious on the part of PBS itself.
There's a lot of nuance here, and a lot of troubling questions that don't necessarily need to be framed in such a manichaean way.
posted by graphnerd at 5:38 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Is "pummeling the lede" a phrase? I don't mean to criticize the poster directly, and I hope that it's intriguing enough to get people to RTFA.
Because there's a lot of valid and interesting questions here about PBS' agency in terms of this doc. And my first read is that there's nothing particularly egregious on the part of PBS itself.
There's a lot of nuance here, and a lot of troubling questions that don't necessarily need to be framed in such a manichaean way.
posted by graphnerd at 5:38 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
So, if a good person (by blue standards) was on the board of an institution, like a museum or a PBS station, and some filmmaker wanted to make a film that showed that person or his/her family in a negative light--would everyone here be all distressed that the good person was being slimed? I'm not at all interested in government control of media, and Koch is free to take his marbles and go home. Why are so few very rich show biz types interested in supporting PBS? I don't see Harvey Weinstein making a big donation.
Gibney's film was made with Bill Gates' foundation's money, and if Gates had been skewered, it's not likely that more grants would be forthcoming.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:51 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Gibney's film was made with Bill Gates' foundation's money, and if Gates had been skewered, it's not likely that more grants would be forthcoming.
posted by Ideefixe at 5:51 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Because if they earned it in the free market, they clearly deserve it as inherently superior beings, and as job creators, have the god given right to spend that money to mold society as they please without oversight by inferior government bureaucrats.
I know you're being ironic, but show me a great fortune and ninety percent of the time I'll show you fat government contracts and/or highly favorable legislation. All too often, the rich fuck's money's previous stop was the Treasury.
posted by George_Spiggott at 5:52 PM on May 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
I know you're being ironic, but show me a great fortune and ninety percent of the time I'll show you fat government contracts and/or highly favorable legislation. All too often, the rich fuck's money's previous stop was the Treasury.
posted by George_Spiggott at 5:52 PM on May 20, 2013 [8 favorites]
So where was the outrage when Kroc left all that money to NPR?
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 5:57 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 5:57 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Show me where NPR self-censored to please a dead guy.
posted by George_Spiggott at 6:00 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 6:00 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
"Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." - A.J. Leibling, often misattributed to H.L. Mencken by some folks with enough money and influence to make it stick.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
Has NPR ever done an investigative report about McDonalds?
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:02 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:02 PM on May 20, 2013
Yes. McRibs. And it was very very favorable.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:05 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:05 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fucking pathetic. These guys are the richest people on the planet, made their money pushing cheap oil that's now destroying our future in horrific news ways, funded massive political assassination and propaganda machines to protect themselves from the consequences, and yet as good as they are at dishing it out they can't take it. Like the worst spoiled rich kids, they always threaten to take their ball and go home if they don't get their way.
And yes, of course NPR is compromised by this new fealty system we've got going too.
posted by saulgoodman at 6:09 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
And yes, of course NPR is compromised by this new fealty system we've got going too.
posted by saulgoodman at 6:09 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
McRibs, nary a negative report
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:09 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 6:09 PM on May 20, 2013
I always figured the dearth of federal funding for public television (or radio, or public what-have-you) is bad because now you just can't produce as much. Until the article spelled it out, I hadn't realized it also means you're increasingly reliant on "gifts" from rich benefactors--and now you have a really strong incentive to self-censor and make sure never to piss them off.
Because the U.S. government would never meddle in public broadcasting's editorial decisions?
posted by one_bean at 6:12 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Because the U.S. government would never meddle in public broadcasting's editorial decisions?
posted by one_bean at 6:12 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
The US government is several million people. They'll meddle, yes. Too many cooks will spoil the broth, which in this case is a good thing.
posted by LogicalDash at 6:20 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by LogicalDash at 6:20 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
AFAIK neither the CBC nor the BBS have editorial influence exerted by their respective governments - at least, not more than any other broadcaster.
posted by GuyZero at 6:21 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by GuyZero at 6:21 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
The best model for public broadcasting is low-level government funding (enough to keep the lights on) and a broad base of funding from viewers like you. Kind of like a democracy - give everyone a little skin in the game, and the journalistic decisions ought to then be independent. The problem is not that the government's defunded, but that only a small percentage of listeners/viewers donate. If the majority of PBS/NPR funding came from the CPB (i.e., government funding), then elected officials and political appointees would have far too strong a role in making editorial decisions. Just like with Koch.
posted by one_bean at 6:22 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by one_bean at 6:22 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
The Koch Brothers Wouldn't Mind Controlling the Medium and the Message
The Koch Brothers' Foray into Media Has Already Been a Success
posted by homunculus at 6:28 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
The Koch Brothers' Foray into Media Has Already Been a Success
posted by homunculus at 6:28 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a: "McRibs, nary a negative report"
Really?
Eva: This reminds me of particleboard, but with meat.
Ian: It's Particlemeat.
And...
[Note: Every year we celebrate the return of the McRib to McDonald's menus by not eating one. Below, our original review, with some updates.]
posted by Samizdata at 6:28 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Really?
Eva: This reminds me of particleboard, but with meat.
Ian: It's Particlemeat.
And...
[Note: Every year we celebrate the return of the McRib to McDonald's menus by not eating one. Below, our original review, with some updates.]
posted by Samizdata at 6:28 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
If the majority of PBS/NPR funding came from the CPB (i.e., government funding), then elected officials and political appointees would have far too strong a role in making editorial decisions.
The obvious comparison is to some of the problems the BBC has had under the current government. I'm not well-qualified to talk about that, but perhaps someone will. (Still would rather have the BBC than this, though.)
posted by immlass at 6:33 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
The obvious comparison is to some of the problems the BBC has had under the current government. I'm not well-qualified to talk about that, but perhaps someone will. (Still would rather have the BBC than this, though.)
posted by immlass at 6:33 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
We get to elect the board that runs the US government. If it weren't for the relentless efforts of asshats like the Kochs' to feed Americans' cynicism and sense of alienation from the republic they should recognize as their most powerful tool for balancing the scales against robber barrons and economic exploiters like them, we could be making a lot more progress on ensuring it's governed well enough to earn public trust again. But the Kochs' make big bank on selling the idea that the US government is a 'them' not an 'us' and their friends in Washington are busy everyday proving it on their dime.
posted by saulgoodman at 6:40 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by saulgoodman at 6:40 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
Anyone who thinks the BBC hasn't been influenced by government powers hasn't been paying attention.
posted by Ideefixe at 7:15 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ideefixe at 7:15 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
After that huge donation, David Koch's house must be absolutely crammed with WNET tote bags and coffee mugs.
posted by dr_dank at 7:23 PM on May 20, 2013 [12 favorites]
posted by dr_dank at 7:23 PM on May 20, 2013 [12 favorites]
What some people won't do to corner the Celtic Woman DVD market.
posted by George_Spiggott at 7:27 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
posted by George_Spiggott at 7:27 PM on May 20, 2013 [5 favorites]
Just watched the program in question (Park Avenue) and didn't think it was that good. It's basically an amalgamation of lots of stuff that's already been reported (The rich are getting richer! Money influences politics!) slathered with a healthy amount of strong opinion. It's not something I will share with my Republican mother in hopes of changing her mind. It is something I recommend if you are already kinda know what's going on and want a 1hr dose of outrage.
posted by cman at 7:27 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by cman at 7:27 PM on May 20, 2013
Would withholding pledges put pressure on PBS to take systematic steps to reduce this corruption, like removing Shapiro from his position?
Actually, MORE small donations would ensure more objectivity and freedom from influence. I don't know anything about the accuracy of account in question (and will not discuss that topic further, in the interest of professionalism) so I put this forth purely as a thought exercise: if the sources of funding are spread around, you don't have acute worry about accusations of catering to particular donors. At its base, it's the same logic that a franchising outfit uses when limiting the number of outlets that any individual may own.
If you need a reminder that there are important people in Public Media who are absolutely committed to high-quality journalism made with objectivity and integrity, I ask you to read this recent interview with FRONTLINE's creator and Executive Producer David Fanning. He's an amazing example of the integrity of public media, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that he is not the only example.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:29 PM on May 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Actually, MORE small donations would ensure more objectivity and freedom from influence. I don't know anything about the accuracy of account in question (and will not discuss that topic further, in the interest of professionalism) so I put this forth purely as a thought exercise: if the sources of funding are spread around, you don't have acute worry about accusations of catering to particular donors. At its base, it's the same logic that a franchising outfit uses when limiting the number of outlets that any individual may own.
If you need a reminder that there are important people in Public Media who are absolutely committed to high-quality journalism made with objectivity and integrity, I ask you to read this recent interview with FRONTLINE's creator and Executive Producer David Fanning. He's an amazing example of the integrity of public media, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that he is not the only example.
posted by Mayor Curley at 7:29 PM on May 20, 2013 [7 favorites]
Billionaire quits donating to PBS station after interview with doorman in his building reveals he only gives $50 tip to doormen at Christmas. Film at 11.
posted by Ironmouth at 7:55 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Ironmouth at 7:55 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, and I thought this would be about how And Funded By the David H. Koch Foundation NOVA has oddly never managed to do a program on global warming. Or why An Inconvenient Truth has never been shown on PBS. Silly me.
posted by y2karl at 8:24 PM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by y2karl at 8:24 PM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]
Billionaire quits donating to PBS station after interview with doorman in his building reveals he only gives $50 tip to doormen at Christmas. Film at 11.
Nobody here is angry or even surprised that David Koch allegedly withheld a large donation to a PBS affiliate after they aired an unflattering documentary about him. The story here is how PBS fell all over itself to avoid offending a major donor by censoring itself.
posted by indubitable at 8:29 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
Nobody here is angry or even surprised that David Koch allegedly withheld a large donation to a PBS affiliate after they aired an unflattering documentary about him. The story here is how PBS fell all over itself to avoid offending a major donor by censoring itself.
posted by indubitable at 8:29 PM on May 20, 2013 [9 favorites]
this is all of a line with companies having free speech with their money, where the company is reduced to one guy. I love the idea of treating the Kochs like a Marcos, or a Rios Mott.
posted by anadem at 9:30 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by anadem at 9:30 PM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Oh, and I thought this would be about how And Funded By the David H. Koch Foundation NOVA has oddly never managed to do a program on global warming.
NOVA begs to differ.
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:53 AM on May 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
NOVA begs to differ.
posted by Gygesringtone at 6:53 AM on May 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Why in the hell would you permit that much money to collect in one person's hands?
How in the hell do you stop it without also infringing on those rights and freedoms?
(not to say the US couldn't do a better job being pro free market and less pro big business).
posted by bartonlong at 9:47 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
How in the hell do you stop it without also infringing on those rights and freedoms?
(not to say the US couldn't do a better job being pro free market and less pro big business).
posted by bartonlong at 9:47 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I walk by a fresco of David Koch every time I take a piss at work (he's a big donor to my school). That has to mean something.
posted by COBRA! at 9:56 AM on May 21, 2013
posted by COBRA! at 9:56 AM on May 21, 2013
How in the hell do you stop it without also infringing on those rights and freedoms?
Confiscatory levels of taxation.
Matt Yglesias has this running... thing, I guess, that one of the reasons there was historically all this blue sky research in the private sector (Bell Labs being the epitome) particularly in the immediately post-war years was that since marginal rates got up to 90%, execs couldn't really get sky-high salaries. Instead they status-chased by building goofy toys (that benefitted the world at large, kinda sorta).
I guess I wished I believed that tax policy was all it took to reign in this kind of insane inequality, but I'm not that optimistic.
posted by PMdixon at 10:06 AM on May 21, 2013
Confiscatory levels of taxation.
Matt Yglesias has this running... thing, I guess, that one of the reasons there was historically all this blue sky research in the private sector (Bell Labs being the epitome) particularly in the immediately post-war years was that since marginal rates got up to 90%, execs couldn't really get sky-high salaries. Instead they status-chased by building goofy toys (that benefitted the world at large, kinda sorta).
I guess I wished I believed that tax policy was all it took to reign in this kind of insane inequality, but I'm not that optimistic.
posted by PMdixon at 10:06 AM on May 21, 2013
I guess I wished I believed that tax policy was all it took to reign in this kind of insane inequality, but I'm not that optimistic.
Well, the numbers suggest that we basically just need to go back to running everything the way we did before the 80s. Tax policy is only one thread of it. The decline of union power, the increasingly voluntary nature of industry regulation, and pretty much everything we've done in the name of globalization and market freedom since the 80s should all be suspect, really. But going back to sensible tax policy in the public interest might be a good place to start.
posted by saulgoodman at 10:24 AM on May 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
Well, the numbers suggest that we basically just need to go back to running everything the way we did before the 80s. Tax policy is only one thread of it. The decline of union power, the increasingly voluntary nature of industry regulation, and pretty much everything we've done in the name of globalization and market freedom since the 80s should all be suspect, really. But going back to sensible tax policy in the public interest might be a good place to start.
posted by saulgoodman at 10:24 AM on May 21, 2013 [5 favorites]
NOVA begs to differ.
Oh, yes, NOVA has been totally covering climate change and global warming, and especially the part about contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide levls made by burning fossil fuels. Because it is so serious, they just have been hammering away at it in program after program after program after program, never dropping the ball, never letting us forget what we are facing because they care so much about what is the most important issue of our lives. It's just like the way Neil Degrasse Tyson, when he goes on Coast-to-Coast, hammers at George Noory for always going to the leading crackpot climate change contrarian du jour on the topic when he, Noory, does his news reads and programs related to the topic. Not to mention how he, Tyson, is all over the topic all the time on his NOVA ScienceNow. Right.
posted by y2karl at 10:49 AM on May 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
Oh, yes, NOVA has been totally covering climate change and global warming, and especially the part about contribution to atmospheric carbon dioxide levls made by burning fossil fuels. Because it is so serious, they just have been hammering away at it in program after program after program after program, never dropping the ball, never letting us forget what we are facing because they care so much about what is the most important issue of our lives. It's just like the way Neil Degrasse Tyson, when he goes on Coast-to-Coast, hammers at George Noory for always going to the leading crackpot climate change contrarian du jour on the topic when he, Noory, does his news reads and programs related to the topic. Not to mention how he, Tyson, is all over the topic all the time on his NOVA ScienceNow. Right.
posted by y2karl at 10:49 AM on May 21, 2013 [2 favorites]
I've had an idea for a while that government funding for public broadcasting should end and be replaced by requiring every commercial radio and TV station to pay a portion of their ad revenue, say 10%, to the local public broadcaster. This would eliminate the most (but not all) of the risk of meddling from government (as happened quite blatantly during the Bush years) and wealthy donors, because PBS would end up about as well funded as ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.
The networks and other companies that own commercial stations would would throw a hissy fit, but they only exist as profitable businesses because the FCC is there to regulate the broadcast spectrum, so they should be told to just suck it up. Perhaps in exchange, the FCC would release commercial stations from E/I and other content requirements, since funding public broadcasting would then fulfill their public service mandate. It'd be a win for the big four networks, since they could compete with the edgier & better quality programming on cable and no longer worry about a six figure fine if a few members of the 700 Club are offended by Janet Jackson's nipple.
posted by riruro at 10:57 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
The networks and other companies that own commercial stations would would throw a hissy fit, but they only exist as profitable businesses because the FCC is there to regulate the broadcast spectrum, so they should be told to just suck it up. Perhaps in exchange, the FCC would release commercial stations from E/I and other content requirements, since funding public broadcasting would then fulfill their public service mandate. It'd be a win for the big four networks, since they could compete with the edgier & better quality programming on cable and no longer worry about a six figure fine if a few members of the 700 Club are offended by Janet Jackson's nipple.
posted by riruro at 10:57 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
I suppose they can always tap their bud Soros to make up for shortfall that Koch's pulled donation no doubt created.
posted by VicNebulous at 11:34 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by VicNebulous at 11:34 AM on May 21, 2013 [1 favorite]
Wow, that's a lot of unnecessary sarcasm. You said they never covered the topic. They clearly do. If you want to argue that they don't cover the topic enough, well there's an argument there, but I'm not convinced it's a great one.
NOVA's a general science program. There's a LOT of general science out there. Searching the Novabeta site they did an episode explicitly about climate change 2 years ago, and about two to three episodes a year that touch on the subject. So, climate change gets mentioned roughly 4% of the episodes. Considering that they cover everything from weather, to biology, to space exploration, to quantum physics, to geology, to archeology, to paleontology, to medicine, to criminology, I'd say that's pretty good. Oh and that is only taking into account the full length episodes, not the short films, other content, or linked articles on their site.
We can disagree about if that's enough coverage of the issue or not, but I think if you actually stop to look at how much they DO talk about it (the coverage is on par with human evolution for instance), the idea that NOVA is self censoring about the issue becomes a little odd.
posted by Gygesringtone at 11:40 AM on May 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
NOVA's a general science program. There's a LOT of general science out there. Searching the Novabeta site they did an episode explicitly about climate change 2 years ago, and about two to three episodes a year that touch on the subject. So, climate change gets mentioned roughly 4% of the episodes. Considering that they cover everything from weather, to biology, to space exploration, to quantum physics, to geology, to archeology, to paleontology, to medicine, to criminology, I'd say that's pretty good. Oh and that is only taking into account the full length episodes, not the short films, other content, or linked articles on their site.
We can disagree about if that's enough coverage of the issue or not, but I think if you actually stop to look at how much they DO talk about it (the coverage is on par with human evolution for instance), the idea that NOVA is self censoring about the issue becomes a little odd.
posted by Gygesringtone at 11:40 AM on May 21, 2013 [3 favorites]
Your facts are correct, and your point is well taken and I must apologize a bit for the sarcasm but..
Yes, I think they don't cover the topic enough, and yes, I wish that they would cover the topic a whole lot more and, yes, I think that it is quite likely that Mr. Koch's billions and the millions he gives to PBS and NOVA are a very large thumb on the scale that tilts things askew on the coverage they do, tilts it to more closely follow and fit his political views and agenda. Given the urgency of the topic, 4% does not seem like a whole lot to me. Not at all.
See also An Inconvenient Truth. I know I could be wrong there, too. Someone may very well point out that, yes, it has too been shown on PBS and that I am once again talking out my ass but I can not remember it ever being shown or advertised on our local PBS station here in Seattle. And if I am correct about its not being broadcast on PBS, then once again, it seems to me that its absence means that someone's billions have been very vocal in their silence.
As Bob Dylan once wrote: Money doesn't talk, it swears...
posted by y2karl at 6:36 PM on May 21, 2013
Yes, I think they don't cover the topic enough, and yes, I wish that they would cover the topic a whole lot more and, yes, I think that it is quite likely that Mr. Koch's billions and the millions he gives to PBS and NOVA are a very large thumb on the scale that tilts things askew on the coverage they do, tilts it to more closely follow and fit his political views and agenda. Given the urgency of the topic, 4% does not seem like a whole lot to me. Not at all.
See also An Inconvenient Truth. I know I could be wrong there, too. Someone may very well point out that, yes, it has too been shown on PBS and that I am once again talking out my ass but I can not remember it ever being shown or advertised on our local PBS station here in Seattle. And if I am correct about its not being broadcast on PBS, then once again, it seems to me that its absence means that someone's billions have been very vocal in their silence.
As Bob Dylan once wrote: Money doesn't talk, it swears...
posted by y2karl at 6:36 PM on May 21, 2013
Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films on the other hand is crowd sourced and can’t be so easily deterred. (via)
Here is Koch Brothers Exposed for your throwing up enjoyment.
As was said in another thread:
I'm so over the United States. Can we tear it all down and get a new one, please?
posted by adamvasco at 4:53 AM on May 22, 2013
Here is Koch Brothers Exposed for your throwing up enjoyment.
As was said in another thread:
I'm so over the United States. Can we tear it all down and get a new one, please?
posted by adamvasco at 4:53 AM on May 22, 2013
George_Spiggott: "What some people won't do to corner the Celtic Woman DVD market."
Like my Dad.
Seriously, when someone gifted him a pair of tickets to a local performance of theirs, I was surprised I didn't see anything on the news about a college professor rushing the stage...
posted by Samizdata at 11:00 PM on May 22, 2013
Like my Dad.
Seriously, when someone gifted him a pair of tickets to a local performance of theirs, I was surprised I didn't see anything on the news about a college professor rushing the stage...
posted by Samizdata at 11:00 PM on May 22, 2013
I walk by a fresco of David Koch every time I take a piss at work (he's a big donor to my school). That has to mean something.
It only means something if you piss on the fresco.
posted by homunculus at 11:15 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
It only means something if you piss on the fresco.
posted by homunculus at 11:15 PM on May 22, 2013 [1 favorite]
Colbert Report: Public TV Dependent on 'Viewers Nothing Like You'
posted by homunculus at 4:04 PM on May 25, 2013
posted by homunculus at 4:04 PM on May 25, 2013
Filmmakers of ''Citizen Koch'' Tia Lessin and Carl Deal interviewed on Democracy Now.
posted by adamvasco at 9:50 AM on June 2, 2013
posted by adamvasco at 9:50 AM on June 2, 2013
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posted by Old'n'Busted at 4:27 PM on May 20, 2013 [4 favorites]