Intrepid and fearless journalist David Sirota broke open the scandal of PBS accepting $3.5 million from the foundation of a billionaire with a strong interest in “reforming” (away) the pensions of public sector workers.
Here Sirota reviews how the story unfolded, how PBS and WNET stone-walled, how the Arnold foundation attempted to distance itself from its funder, and how social media changed everything. A decade ago, no one would have connected the dots. If they had, their article would have been published, dismissed, and forgotten after quick denials. With social media, the spotlight of public scrutiny is brighter.
Thank you, David Sirota. You are the public’s protector and omsbudsman.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I join in with you on congratulating David Sirota for his insight and willingness to speak out on important issues.
Lovely! Have a good time.
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David is the personification of the old, old-fashioned journalist. Only a few around. We need more!
Joseph Mugivan Thank you, these are all thoughtful observations.. I used to be able to put 10 problems on a board in about 5 minutes, and once the first one is up children are on task. Brian had a good comment about the research. It may be “interactive” to the outside observer, but is it effective? I once visited a K class and the teacher had a multimedia presentation going with beautiful pictures in foreign countries, music with a beat, and interactive activities with children going up and touching and moving the days and months of the year to create the days date. It seemed very exciting. Later that day I asked the child what month and day it was? She had no idea what I was talking about!. Children begin to process time and space at age 7. That is why they play. Does a Smartboard know that? Smartboards are an idea in time, an open classroom is so much more. I feel sorry for the new teachers scrambling with the Common Core nonsense, never to have a chance to sort things out in reaction to their students. I do not see the joy in their eyes and their creativity that is being snuffed out before it is born. A senior teacher once said to me, “Young teachers just don’t know, that they don’t know”. Smartboards should be a tool for teachers, but I feel that the teachers are becoming a tool for the Smartboards. Who controls that medium, controls children’s (and teachers’) minds.
I’m far from being a Pollyanna, but even I have difficulty comprehending how cruel, greedy people like Arnold can live with themselves and sleep at night.
Arnold made so many billions of dollars as a hedge fund manager (who add nothing of value to our society) that he could afford to retire in his 30s. Then he spends his retirement years focusing on dismantling institutions and harming people that ARE very valuable to our society, including public education, teachers, police and firefighters –many of whom are unlikely to ever earn six figure incomes. And he conjures a manufactured crisis in order to prevent them from being able to retire comfortably after a lifetime of service to our country. Apparently, in his mind, only do nothing elites like himself deserve that.
May there be an eternity in hell earmarked for this poor excuse for a human being, and an extraordinarily special place in heaven reserved for David Sirota.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Why is it that the billionaires of our era are so selfish and greedy that they will do anything to steal the money that public servants make and go out of their way to reduce a middle class job to a pile of rubble? I guess money is the root of evil.
Dee Dee – And how much is enough? One billion? Two Billion? Even more?
The majority of us are happy to have a decent pension – at a fraction of the wealthy’s “interest” on investments. Why do they begrudge our well deserved pensions which we have earned through years of hard work? It’s as if they can’t glory in their own money while anyone else has two nickels to rub together.
Ellen, I don’t get the idea that billionaires begrudge others who worked hard a decent pension, less than they pay their secretary.
Oh no, Diane, this is even worse than I thought. At least when the billionaires begrudge they think of us as human beings. To simply think of our pensions as an unnecessary expense puts us in the realm of commodities instead of flesh and blood.
It explains a lot.
He’s most likely a sociopath. Almost without exception, these billionaires and near-billionaires are completely screwed up in the head.
He also helped run Enron into the ground. He wants that pension money so he and his ilk can gamble it all on Wall Street. He’s nothing but a thug, a crook, who belongs in prison.
I would think a national pension system that strived towards fairness and stability would be a good thing for society in general. Having systems that are more unpredictable, more lottery like, and prone to failure, are not the path to progress.
My husband and I have often debated if there are any real journalists out there. I am delighted that I was wrong. Thank you, David Sirota, indeed! Thank you for raising the bar. Perhaps you will be the Pied Piper… We can only hope for others to follow in your bold & ethical footsteps.
From a retired teacher who is enjoying the fruit of my labor (my pension and I’ve earned every penny of it.) I say to David Sirota, many, many thanks.
It’s good to know that some journalists can’t be “bought”. A thank you to David Sirota for having our backs. We need more like him.
Thanks for exposing what a fraud PBS has become. I guess we all knew but we finally have irrefutable proof!!!
I agree with Diane, David Sirota is a hero!
Let’s celebrate, but not all the way.
How do we know PBS is not still going ahead with the series anyway?
Anyone have any information?
But, yes, Sirota is awe-inspiring.
Thank you, David, millions of times over . . . .
Yes, Robert. We must always be vigilant. If anything, David Sirotta is showing us that we must dig deep to expose the dirt behind the deformers.
I know he is one of the most outspoken critics, and he gets bashed because of his activist style critique of the politics and institutions. But, as far as I know, he is right in most cases. No doubt about this corporate assault on public media. I’m glad he always shows what’s right for the public, and there’s a lot of people supporting him.