PBS | Ombudsman | Archive | October 2008 Archives

October 2008

October 31, 2008

Ombudsman's Mailbag

Welcome to another collection of mail from viewers about PBS programs. Actually, this isn't much of a collection since most of the mail I received was about one program, a two-hour documentary called "Heat" from Frontline that aired on Oct.... More »

October 24, 2008

A Tortured Path

In last week's mini-posting I mentioned, very briefly, a new 90-minute documentary film titled "Torturing Democracy" that had been offered to PBS but stirred some controversy before it had aired. The New York Times, on Oct. 16, had first reported... More »

October 17, 2008

Wait 'Til Next Year

* This posting was revised on Friday based on new information I'm away from the office until Oct. 21. So this isn't a column, and that headline isn't about baseball. Rather, it is about a new 90-minute documentary film (that... More »

October 10, 2008

The Ombudsman's Mailbag

As sometimes happens in the week-by-week life of an ombudsman, if you defend — or are perceived to be defending — someone who is under attack by critics, then the fire turns on you the following week. So a good... More »

October 2, 2008

The Doctrine of No Surprises

One of the most useful lessons I learned during many years as a reporter and editor at The Washington Post was what we sometimes called "the doctrine of no surprises." At other times, it was described in harsher terms. The... More »

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