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Torturing Democracy postscript: WETA to air controversial documentary tonight

email   discuss Posted by Jessica Clark on Oct 17, 2008 at 4:59 PM

According to PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler, after the New York Times covered the controversy, officials at WETA announced late yesterday that they’d run the film today. Getler explains:

Normally, programs that are approved by PBS are distributed to all affiliates as part of the National Programming Service. The Times story pointed out, however, that PBS officials said that no national air date was available for this program until Jan. 21, 2009, a day after a new administration is sworn in, and that the film’s producer, Sherry Jones, had rejected that offer. Jones, the Times reported, was appealing to individual stations to find time on their schedules before 2009. All PBS affiliates are independent and can air whatever they choose, and other distribution channels are available. That seems to be what is happening. Late on Thursday, PBS officials told me that “the producer of ‘Torturing Democracy’ and WNET have decided to distribute the program via the Executive Program Service” and that “there are no plans for it to be distributed by PBS any time in the future.”


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Normally, programs that are approved by PBS are distributed to all affiliates as part of the National Programming Service. The Times story pointed out, however, that PBS officials said that no national air date was available for this program until Jan. 21, 2009, a day after a new administration is sworn in, and that the film’s producer, Sherry Jones, had rejected that offer. Jones, the Times reported, was appealing to individual stations to find time on their schedules before 2009. All PBS affiliates are independent and can air whatever they choose, and other distribution channels are available. That seems to be what is happening. Late on Thursday, PBS officials told me that “the producer of ‘Torturing Democracy’ and WNET have decided to distribute the program via the Executive Program Service” and that “there are no plans for it to be distributed by PBS any time in the future.” http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/blogs/future_of_public_media/torturing_democracy_postscript_weta_to_air_controversial_documentary_tonigh/ ' />

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