PBS is claiming that it began a review of its standards for political balance before there was any threat of a funding cut, now something that is a very real possibility. The AP reports:

PBS, which rejects accusations of liberal bias, said it has been reviewing its procedures since before Republicans in Congress moved to cut its financing....

Revisions adopted by the PBS board include a requirement that commentary and opinion be labeled as such, and that program producers offer more information on how they gathered material and made their editorial decisions.

PBS also said it would hire an ombudsman to review controversial programs.

It has long been abvious to many of us that by featuring radical leftists like Bill Moyers, and by pervasive slanting of its programming towards a liberal perspective, PBS was flouting the requirement of political balance long imposed as a condition of receiving public money.

That PBS is ridiculously claiming no relationship between the possible loss of funding and its latest sham efforts at reform only reinforces the perception of deep political bias there.

Ed Lasky   6 16 05