Dems seeking ouster of PBS chairman

[CatWoman]

A pink slip for Ken Tomlinson?



Each morning at our house, there used to come a time when the Teletubbies waved bye-bye. Is it Ken Tomlinson's turn to do the same?

This afternoon at the Capitol, Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer are unveiling a letter they've written to George W. Bush demanding the dismissal of the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In their letter, which is apparently signed by 15 senators, Feinstein and Schumer accuse Tomlinson of "actively undermining, under-funding and ultimately undoing" the mission of public broadcasting.

Earlier this month, a House subcommittee approved sharp cuts in funding for public broadcasting and, according to the Washington Post, acted to eliminate within two years all federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Tomlinson's office said it was "concerned" about the proposed cuts, but advocates for public broadcasting didn't buy it. They saw the cuts as part of a broader Republican attack against what they consider a liberal bias at PBS and NPR -- an attack Tomlinson has spearheaded from his position as the head of the CPB.

If having Tomlinson continue to serve as head of the CPB sounds to you a bit like having John Bolton serve as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations -- well, Feinstein and Schumer won't disagree. "Public television is a valuable resource for all Americans and it should not be undermined by appointed leadership that has a political agenda," they say in their letter to Bush. "We urge you to immediately replace Mr. Tomlinson with an executive who takes his or her responsibility to the public television system seriously, not one who so seriously undermines the credibility and mission of public television."

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=

[CatWoman]

1. kick

:kick: