PBS: Pentagon Broadcasting Service?
Mike Madden / Veterans For Peace Chapter 27
(January 26, 2024) — Viewers of the PBS NewsHour who are media literate have long recognized the pro-US bias in its coverage of US foreign policy. Those who have written to the state media outlet in attempt to right to listing journalistic ship know that their critiques will fall on deaf ears.
That is why members of Veterans For Peace Chapter 27 and Women Against Military Madness turned to the local PBS affiliate, Twin Cities Public Television (TPT), with our complaints about the NewsHour’s slanted and warmongering coverage. Our hope was that TPT would use its influence with its parent station, if it found our criticisms to be valid.
In a series of letters and emails to TPT, we highlighted the many instances of propaganda witnessed since Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza. They included:
- Open advocacy for the Biden administration’s $106 billion supplemental aid package that would provide weapons to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, while militarizing our own southern border and curtailing the right of asylum.
- Ubiquitous references to Israel’s “right to defend itself”, with exactly zero mentions of Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions, which recognizes the right of oppressed and occupied peoples to engage in armed resistance.
- Frequent and unnecessary use of anonymous government sources to promote a government-friendly narrative regarding the bombing of Yemen.
- Reliance on “expert” guests from think tanks (Middle East Institute and Hudson Institute) that are funded by the weapons industry, and failure to disclose that conflict of interest as they advocate for war.
PBS NewsHour’s propaganda by omission was also notable. Some of the newsworthy developments that were ignored included:
- The lawsuit filed in Federal Court by the Center for Constitutional Rights alleging US complicity in Israel’s genocide against Palestinians.
- Accounts by Israeli survivor Yasmin Porat and Colonel Nof Erez that the Israeli security forces killed many of their own people in repelling the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
- Senator Bernie Sanders’ request, and the failed full-Senate vote, for a State Department report on human rights violations by Israel in Gaza to assess compliance with the Leahy Law.
- President Biden’s end run around congressional authority to appropriate funding by sending weapons to Israel even as Congress was debating such aid.
- The January 13, 2024 ceasefire demonstration in Washington DC that drew 100,000 people.
After requests for a meeting with TPT President Sylvia Strobel went unanswered, on January 10th we went to the TPT studio in Saint Paul’s lowertown prepared to demonstrate, but still hoping for an impromptu meeting. To our delight, an assistant to President Strobel came down to the lobby to speak with us. Unfortunately, she was not prepared to engage on the substance of out complaint. She said she would forward our concerns to PBS.
The days went on and the propaganda continued. We requested another meeting to discuss the merits of our complaint. We received the following response from TPT’s Director of Programming on January 24th:
Hello Mr. Madden,
I’m glad I could confirm that your observations about The PBS Newshour’s coverage of the war in Gaza are making it all the way to the producers of the series. Having realized the most effective way to have input into their coverage I am going to decline your invitation for a meeting.
Sincerely,
Sherry Meek,
Director of Programming
Twin Cities PBS
So we went back to the TPT studio the next day to hold a solemn protest against genocide, and let the PBS NewsHour know that their coverage of foreign affairs is neither “honest, balanced, nor trusted”.
We set up a large ‘Stop Genocide’ banner on the sidewalk outside the studio. We went inside their building, and proceeded read aloud statements of genocidal intent uttered by Israeli officials. We then taped hand-written transcripts of those statements to the glass wall that separates the TPT studio from the lobby.
Whether TPT and PBS like it or not, we will do our best to put the ‘public’ back into public television, and get the profiteering warmongers out.
