When Ronald Reagan and Congress cut funding for PBS, the public system had to go begging to the 1%.
As this article in the LA Times shows, David Sirota was right when he exposed the funding behind the PBS series on “pension reform.” The money came from a billionaire who is a vocal critic if public pensions.
PBS returned the $3.5 million.
But read the story to learn how PBS quashed a show about the Koch brothers.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Yes, PBS has sold its soul! Agreed.
And the LA TImes has not?
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Let’s be honest, the People of the United States sold their souls when they let Ronnie Raygun an Congress prostitute PBS (Pearls Before Swine).
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This is just another example of what happens when public institutions are not properly funded. Wealthy individuals will give donations as long as it meets their needs. Now let’s get NYSUT to give the money back to gates!
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Yes!
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The LA Times needs to chill with the castigating. Especially if they don’t want every pane to shatter in their glass house.
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Whenever we trace the path back to the root of most political problems in America today, they all start with Reagan’s destructive anti-democratic policies.
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PBS is a PUBLIC television station, they get PUBLIC tax dollars to present informed/unbiased news/stories…what a sham!
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Michael Hiltzik consistently speaks truth to power in his business columns regardless of his employer’s orientation. I really admire him.
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So VERY tragic. I have started listening to NPR, most especially the Diane Rehm show which is one of, if not the best talk shows around. Other NPR programs also seem less affected by the big money interests.
Too: I love, if you can get it, Linktv and freespeechTV which has programs like Democracy Now with Amy Goodman where investigative journalism really happens. They exist only on public donations so they feel free to “tell it like it is”. Sadly, not too many of the networks carry it but on line one can still watch, and if you approve, donate to the Democracy Now program at least. They used to carry Al Jazeera but still carry Deutsche Welle and the French news program as well as one from Asia.
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What soul?
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Koch brothers fund Nova and many other shows, so they aren’t going to slap them down.
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