From: Hermit (hidden@lucifer.com)
Date: Sat Apr 06 2002 - 14:19:49 MST
I haven\'t seen the show yet but I received this FAIR alert earlier this
week:
FAIR-L
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting
Media analysis, critiques and activism
MEDIA ADVISORY:
PBS\'s \"Commanding\" Conflict of Interest:
Enron & other corporate giants sponsored new globalization series
April 3, 2002
In the latest example of PBS\'s inconsistently applied underwriting
guidelines, the network is premiering a six-hour series about the global
economy which was sponsored by major corporations-- including Enron--
that
have a clear interest in the show\'s content.
Titled \"Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy,\" the
series
is based on the eponymous book by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw. It
has already received a rave review from the Wall Street Journal
(3/28/02)
under the headline \"PBS Likes Capitalism More Than the Commercial
Networks
Do,\" in which it hailed the series as a \"paean to private enterprise.\"
Corporate funders of \"Commanding Heights\" include the Electronic Data
Systems Corporation (which bills itself as \"the leading global
information
technology services company\"), BP (formerly British Petroleum, one of
the
world\'s largest oil companies) and FedEx-- all firms with a major stake
in
the debate over the future of the global economy.
Enron no longer appears on lists of the show\'s funders, but the Boston
Globe (1/23/02) has reported that Enron was one of the series\' original
underwriters, providing backing that might have been \"in the six
figures.\"
Since Enron\'s scandalous collapse, PBS has downplayed the Enron link,
calling it \"a distraction.\" In January, after more than two years of
work
on the series and just three months before its debut, Yergin told the
Globe that \"preliminary discussions\" had been undertaken to find a
replacement underwriter.
This isn\'t the first time that PBS has distributed a show with a
funding-related conflict of interest. Nor is it the first time that
Yergin
has been involved. Over the years, FAIR has found that PBS scrutinizes
the
underwriters of certain documentaries with more vigilance than it does
others. Shows produced or funded by \"interest groups\" like unions and
public interest activists have been rejected by PBS as compromised by
these connections, while programs funded by corporate or conservative
interests are A-OK. Here are a few examples of that trend:
DISTRIBUTED BY PBS:
* The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power, a 1993 series
funded
by PaineWebber, a company with significant oil interests. The series’
main
analyst was Daniel Yergin, a consultant to major oil companies. Almost
every expert featured was a defender of the oil industry.
* Living Against the Odds, a 1991 special on risk assessment that
asserted, \"We have to stop pointing the finger at industry for every
environmental hazard.\" Funded by Chevron, a petrochemical company often
criticized for environmental pollution.
* James Reston: The Man Millions Read, a flattering documentary about
the
New York Times\' most famous pundit. The film was funded by and produced
\"in association with\" the New York Times. The director and producer,
Susan
Dryfoos, is part of the Sulzberger family that owns the paper, and is
the
daughter of a former Times publisher.
REJECTED BY PBS:
* Out At Work, a 1997 film about workplace discrimination against gays
and
lesbians. Why? It was partially funded by unions and a lesbian group.
PBS
acknowledged that the underwriters had clearly not controlled the
program’s content, and that it was “compelling television responsibly
done,” but still refused to distribute it.
* Defending Our Lives, a 1993 Academy Award-winning documentary about
domestic violence. Why? One of the producers was the leader of a
battered
women\'s support group, and PBS felt that gave her a \"direct vested
interest in the subject matter of the program.\"
* The Money Lenders, a 1993 film about the World Bank. Why? PBS was
concerned that \"Even though the documentary may seem objective to some,
there is a perception of bias in favor of poor people who claim to be
adversely affected.\"
According to the \"Commanding Heights\" trailer-- which, though it doesn\'t
disclose the show\'s underwriters, does feature footage of FedEx
airplanes-- the show aims to tell \"the story of the battle between the
power of governments and the power of the marketplace over which will
control the commanding heights of the world\'s economies.\"
It\'s unfortunate that public television is presenting viewers with a
report on the struggle over globalization that\'s been bankrolled by some
of the key players from one side of the debate.
For some of FAIR\'s past work on PBS, see:
http://www.fair.org/media-outlets/pbs.html
To contact PBS:
Public Broadcasting Service
1320 Braddock Place
Alexandria, VA 22314
mailto:viewer@pbs.org
Phone: (703)739-5000
----------
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