Did PBS pass up "Citizen Koch" because David Koch sat on WNET board?

By Renee Fox

28 October 2013

There is no denying the conservative activism David Koch funds through nonprofit groups like Americans for Prosperity and David H. Koch Charitable Foundation. He has also given away millions to museums and schools. So is it a problem if Koch sits on the board of a couple PBS affiliates?

The creators of Citizen Koch, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal, believe the presence of Koch on the board of PBS station WNET (NY) led to a decision by Independent Lens (ITVS) to not broadcast their film.

The documentary, "explores what the Wisconsin playbook and the U.S. Supreme Court decision that unleashed a new era of unbridled special-interest spending means for us all. And it poses a crucial question: Who owns democracy in America?"

Koch resigned his seat on the board of WNET shortly after ITVS said the film was not selected because clips of the film did not reflect the information in the written proposal. Brian Stetler of the New York Times documents claims from the film makers that trouble arose after the name of it was changed from Citizen Corp to Citizen Koch.

PBS' Ombudsman blogger, Michael Getler acknowledges the $23 million David Koch has donated to produce programming and his active participation on Boston's WBGH. Although he hasn't seen the film, which aired at Sundance, he cites reviews of the film that demonstrate its bias and loose fact checking.

Supporters of the film petitioned PBS to air it after money was raised to finish its production, some 140 people sent emails asking Getler to, "Please fight censorship from the Koch brothers and air 'Citizen Koch.' Individuals like the Kochs should not have the power to censor public television just because of their personal wealth."  

Getler responds, "Whatever the good intentions of the petitioners to fight censorship, there is no evidence that David Koch interfered with or tried to censor these films."

Like many viewers I expect high quality, factual programming from PBS. If this film did not satisfy editors and producers I am inclined to respect that, because I believe PBS is one the best providers of unbiased media. I could not find any concrete evidence that Koch influenced the editorial decision.

I have not seen the film, but I have seen Trouble the Water, one of Lessin and Deal's other documentaries about Hurricane Katrina. The winner of Sundance's Grand Jury prize, the duo has earned the respect of many for highlighting troubling societal issues. However, Fahrenheit 9/11, which they produced, might be said to have liberal leanings.

Koch is acting within the law whether he donates money to a conservative politician or public television; and public television needs that money more than ever. User-funded media suffered in the struggling economy and last year Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) suggested Congress de-fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

In order to build and retain confidence in journalism's ability to "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comforted" media outlets should be careful about selecting board members and administrators. Koch's relationship as a donor to PBS is much needed but his presence on the board of an affiliate station creates concerns for viewers who don't want to see his conservative politics influence programming.

Crtical thinking flaws in: "The Rape Epidemic Doesn't Actually Exist"

Critical thinking flaws in:

"The Rape 'Epidemic' Doesn't Actually Exist"

(By Caroline Kitchens)

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/economic-intelligence/2013/10/24/statistics-dont-back-up-claims-about-rape-culture

The writer introduces the topic well with this reasonable description of the topic of her post:

               

 A group of 100 protesters – including many topless women – recently marched the streets of    Athens, Ohio chanting, "Blame the system, not the victim" and "Two, four, six, eight, stop the violence, stop the rape." Organized by an Ohio University student organization called "f*ckrapeculture," the protest was designed to bring attention to what the founders believe is a   toxic culture of sexism and sexual violence infecting their campus.

Kitchens claims that the recent efforts of rape awareness activists is, "...built on a foundation of dubious statistics and a distorted view of masculinity." She offers no example or proof of what that "distorted view of masculinity" is or how it is manifested. The link the writer uses to offer evidence of dubious statistics was written in 1994 and based on statistics from even earlier.  It would seem that the writer is picking and choosing what statistics are valid with little method.

Kitchens claims that these certain statistics are unreliable, "...primarily because of vague and expansive definitions of what qualifies as sexual assault." The assertion ignores the widely known fact that many sexual assaults go unreported, which would also skew the numbers. The writer dismisses  a poll from  the Department of Justice that the activists have used to support their efforts, but uses one of their (old) reports in the very next paragraph. 

At this point I am starting to wonder why Caroline Kitchens is so tough on the universities who, " have recently reviewed and revised their policies. " And claims, "It is not clear that these policies have made campuses safer places for women, but they have certainly made them treacherous places for falsely accused men." So I click on her profile and find this is the only blog post. I have no evidence, but I suspect a troll.

The writer chooses to relay the story of the young man featured in the post's only photo, but does not offer the anecdotes from the other perspective. The case Kitchens chooses to profile was also not one where the victim later recanted, which may have supported the argument more strongly. The author lacks any statistical evidence of the frequency of false accusations.

I believe the writer began the article with a point to prove, rather than a question to answer. This led to statistical cherry-picking and an oversimplification about the plight rape awareness activists are fighting. The author fails to prove the claim asserted in the title of the article.

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest hosts town hall meeting in Concord, NC

In spite of the deep lateral divides in the Republican party, there are a still a few subjects capable of uniting. On Monday night Lt. Governor Dan Forest, Rep. Larry Pittman (82^nd district) and Rep. Carl Ford (76^th district) met with dozens of citizens at Concord's Old Creamery Event Place. The Tea Party group, We the People Inc, sponsored the gathering with catering from The Wayside Diner. The town hall meeting is one of the many Lt. Gov. Forest has headlined around the state. 

Rep. Ford began with a speech that declared the federal case against North Carolina's Voter Id law was merely a delay tactic to keep a perfectly legal law from being enacted before the 2014 election. When asked about the claim that the law will adversely minority voters he responded by stating that it could not, as obtaining an ID is fairly easy and that the state will pay to help those without one.

Rep. Ford also advises citizens to make their voices heard before the General Assembly is in session. He suggests that short, sweet, and personalized messages are much more effective in reaching legislators than mass emails.

After a prayer, Rep. Pittman declared that a recent mass email depicting President Obama as a traitor was simply not true, he hadn't done anything to betray Kenya. The crowd responded enthusiastically and Pittman went on to support the Voter ID law. He claimed that voter fraud was not only committed by minority groups, therefore the new law could not be said to single out one group over another. In response to the low incidence of voter fraud Pittman said, "We know there is voter fraud in some places so why not make sure it doesn't come here?"

Lt. Gov. Forest took the stage next and began with a speech similar to the ones he has given around the state in recent weeks; he said tax reform efforts in North Carolina have moved the state from number 44 to 17 in a list of states with favorable taxes for business. He defended the state's decision to not expand Medicaid, citing “good math.”

The separation between Tea Party candidates and establishment Republicans was highlighted when Forest declared “Dam Mitch McConnell” ought to be the new name of the Kentucky dam project that was funded in last week's bill to reopen the government. The crowd responded with hoots and laughter for support. In response to a question about how conservatives will fair in 2014 Forest said, 

"There is the Republican Party, the Tea Party, the Libertarian movement, Conservative movement; there are a lot of individual movements going out there and there is no unity out there to hold it all together. I think that is a great challenge that we face."

When the Common Core Standards were addressed the people came alive, shouting demands that the State write a check to return the $400 million federal Race to the Top grant it accepted in return for adopting the recently revealed standards. Forest responded, "There is a lot of sentiment out there for that and I believe that is the way it should happen....The legislature has every opportunity in the world to put the pause on this."  

He says North Carolina accepted the standards “sight unseen” and will have to work to implement them, even though, "I don't think standards in and of themselves are the things that are going to transform education in our country."

One member of the audience asked Forest about Senate Bill 14, the first bill Gov. McCrory signed into law, calling for diplomas to reflect a student's “career readiness” or “college readiness. The concerned man has been a teacher for 15 years and does not want to see kids labeled before they get out into the world. Forest neither defended or supported the measure, but claimed that pairing teens with vocations and apprenticeships at young age ensured better employment and might solve the problem of unemployed college graduates. 

Forest has been repeatedly reminded of his statement that N.C.'s teachers ought to be the highest paid in the nation, but has back-pedaled in his last few appearances. Comprehensive tax reform passed earlier this year and it failed to address teacher pay. Forest now says that teacher pay isn't as low as it seems as N.C. Teachers have a low cost of living, great healthcare benefits, and other perks. 

Forest said he could not comment on the State Board of Education's lawsuit against the state about funding for the More at Four program, as he is a voting member of the board

Enthusiastic questions and concerns came from an Asheville group promoting medical marijuana rights in the South East. Two women from The Buzz (NORML newsletter), a cancer survivor, and Todd Stimson wanted to know why a bill allowing cannabis for medicinal purposes was stalled before the end of the last session. Forest said it wasn't a pressing issue for lawmakers, which raised questions about lawmaker complaints that they had been “annoyed” by overwhelming support for the bill. 

 

Forest was bombarded with more questions; why should a non-violent marijuana user be labeled a felon and lose the right to a driver's license and voting? Todd Stimson suffered that fate when his business, Blue Ridge Medical Cannabis Research Corporation was raided in 2011. Stimson had been paying taxes and disclosed the nature of his research to the state. Forest agreed that the penalties were too steep and non-violent offenders, "need to be able to be assimilated back into our society again." He said he is working with his brother, the Chief Federal Probation Officer of Western N.C., the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Public Safety to resolve this issue.

When more questions related to cannabis arose he said, "This is not the cannabis town hall...this is not my issue, you can take it up with your other legislatures."

The meeting came to end after Forest answered the last question, what exactly is your job? It is to be a voting member on a number of boards, host town hall meetings, and to be voice between citizens and the state. 

Lt. Gov. Dan Forest was elected independently of Governor McCrory, his website has not been updated since he won the nomination in 2012.

Google's "Shared Endorsements" alarm privacy activists

Beginning on November 11 Google will begin using our comments and reviews to send advertisements to other users. These “Shared Endorsements” mark a new step in the efforts of social media websites to cash in on untapped advertising opportunities. These ads will be produced by searching for keywords in past and present social media activities. By using one's picture and full name, advertisers are hoping for a strong reaction to certain products from your circle of friends

Privacy activists are concerned that this type of advertising obscures the user's original intent and fails to compensate users for their endorsements. Readers may be reminded of the recent lawsuit that left Facebook owing $20 million after rolling out a similar plan. Google may have resolved the legality issue with a careful notification program and providing plenty of time to allow people to opt out of the program. To opt out of the program log into Google Plus and then select: Settings, Shared Endorsement, Edit, and un-check the permission box.

But some privacy activists suggest this isn't enough. Janet Davison of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation quotes Sidneyeve Matrix, a media professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont.,

"Google’s in the courts right now and they were arguing that people don’t have a reasonable expectation of privacy in our email. So I think that we can’t rely on the privacy settings."

We are entering a new era of advertising and Online community. The courts may have the biggest say in the structuring of America 2.0; but Google Inc (GOOG.O) did set a record on the S&P 500 today, it's stock is now worth over $1,000 a share.

Malala Yousafzai on The Daily Show

Malala Yousafzai on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

On  Tuesday, October 8 Malala Yousafzai sat down for a touching and empowering interview with Jon Stewart of The Daily Show. Yesterday, 9 October 2013, marked the first year of her survival after a Taliban attack. The assassination attempt came after years of outspoken criticism against the Taliban's anti-education campaign. She informs us, that since 2007, 400 schools have been bombed. "The bravest girl" finds a lot of her inspiration from her father, also an advocate for education and women's rights.

Malala still crusades for the right to education in Pakistan.She believes the Taliban denies education to girls in order to retain power and control in the region. She says, "You must fight others [the Taliban] through peace and dialogue and education." 

According to CNN, Malala has won the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. On Amazon's Best Sellers list I am Malala, her new book, is already at the number two position. Malala Yousafzai is an integral cog in the machine that will eventually rid the world of crimes against women.

 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. 8 October 2013
Video retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f506lCk6Tos

Federal charges against North Carolina Voter ID Law

The Attorney General, Eric Holder, has announced that the Federal government will pursue action in the courts to prevent North Caronlina from enacting new and restrictive voter ID legislation The Voter Information Verification Act was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory in August of this year. 

The law introduces a number of changes; early voting will be shortened by a week. All voters must present photo ID, unless having a photo taken violates religious rights or a declared natural disaster has occurred. In addition, voters can no longer register on the same day, voters can be challenged at the voting booths, and it will be illegal for voting stations to stay open longer than the posted hours (even if there is still a line).

Adam Serwer, of MSNBC, wrote an article on the 1^st of October about the details of the state law and the precedence the Court's decision will set. By selecting to insert the following quote from a pundit Serwer demonstrates that he understands what the audience at MSNBC wants to read.

“It’s a little hard for North Carolina to feign ignorance and pretend this was all the outcome of a neutral, rational legislative process,” says Brenda Wright, an election law expert with the liberal think tank Demos. “If you choose to carry out partisan ends by deliberately disenfranchising some voters of color, you can’t pretend that’s not discrimination.”

With all of these restrictions and because it was passed very shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, it is no surprise that the administration decided to pursue challenges to the laws from North Carolina and Texas. In a statement Eric Holder describes the law as a burden primarily on the backs of minorities and as an effort to “contract the electorate.”

The Justice Department seeks to use Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to block the laws from being implemented. They will also request the implementation of Section 3, requiring the state to gain federal approval before initiating any other election laws.

The lawmakers in North Carolina claim the law was written to prevent fraud and ensure the “integrity” of the election process. The statement begs the question, what integrity is there in restricting a citizen's Constitutional Right? Serwer casts doubt on that claim with this statistic, “In 2012, according to NBC affiliate WNCN, voter fraud referrals accounted for 0.00174 percent of the ballots cast, and 0.000738 percent in 2010.”

The important precedent this decision will set may change the shape of our country's electorate dramatically, for better or worse.

http://tv.msnbc.com/2013/10/01/high-stakes-in-battle-over-north-carolinas-voter-id-law/