YOU KNOW I'D BE WATCHING

I suck!

Via First Draft, Newsday informs us that the former head of PBS broke the law trying to drag public broadcasting further to the right:

WASHINGTON -- The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting broke federal law by interfering with PBS programming and appearing to use political tests in recruiting the corporation's new president, internal investigators said Tuesday.

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, a Republican, also sought to withhold funding from PBS unless the taxpayer-supported network brought in more conservative voices to balance its programming, said the report by CPB inspector general Kenneth A. Konz.

...

Specifically, the report said Tomlinson violated the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 and ethical standards by dealing directly with one of the creators of the conservative-leaning "Journal Editorial Report," hosted by the editor of The Wall Street Journal editorial page.

In internal e-mails, Tomlinson told CPB staff to threaten to withhold funds from PBS "if they didn't balance their programming," the report said.

There was evidence, the report said, to suggest that "political tests" or qualifications were used as a major factor in the hiring of new CPB President Patricia S. Harrison, in violation of federal rules. Harrison, who was backed by Tomlinson, is a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

The report also faulted Tomlinson for hiring a consultant to review program content on PBS shows such as "Now With Bill Moyers." The IG said Tomlinson didn't obtain the proper authorization from the board for the consultant's $20,000 contract. The consultant kept track of whether guests on the shows were "anti or pro-Bush," and "anti or pro-Tom DeLay."

I've got an idea. Why doesn't PBS make a show out of Mainstream Politics, with your host, LordMercifulVoo. It could be a half hour with the camera pointed at a computer screen and a little speaker graphic in the corner. It sounds crappy, but consider this: PBS gave Tucker Carlson a show. Watching radioactive isotopes decay is more compelling.

JC