PBS News: Opinion & Commentary

A Tale of Two Titles

PBS Ombudsman

Bonnie Erbe is the creator and host of PBS’s lively and long-running all-women’s news analysis program ‘To The Contrary.” But Erbe and the ombudsman differ about some recent programs dealing with immigration. The ombudsman finds them with a clear anti-immigration tone and without much ‘contrary’ opinion. Erbe disagrees. Continue

The Mailbag: Ferguson’s Back, With ‘Killer’ Apps

PBS Ombudsman

Will the West retain its global dominance, or is it beginning to slip? Are the factors that created centuries of progress showing signs of being diminished? Harvard historian Niall Ferguson address these in a provocative and entertaining new series on PBS called, “Civilization: The West and the Rest.” Viewers who wrote to the ombudsman didn’t like Ferguson’s interpretation of this history. Continue

The Mailbag: White? Hispanic? White and Hispanic? Or. . .?

PBS Ombudsman

Critics are jumping on the PBS NewsHour for using one-word,“white,” to describe George Zimmerman, just charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of an unarmed 17-year-old black youth in Florida, in a case that has attracted global attention. Now the NewsHour is the focus of attention by some critics. Continue

The Mailbag: Anybody Here Against War and Speak English?

PBS Ombudsman

The PBS NewsHour, to its credit, has had two good-sized segments this month discussing the prospects and possible tactics of an Israeli air strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and possible U.S. involvement. But absent from these discussions thus far are any strong voices arguing that going to war, or getting pulled in to one. Some viewers, however, are speaking up. Continue

The Mailbag: 'Wishes Fulfilled' and Unfulfilled

PBS Ombudsman

Some things never change. A new pledge season brings a new special by Dr. Wayne Dyer. He’s a very popular talking-head when it comes to self-development, and his programs are good fund-raisers for PBS. But he also generates a fairly steady stream of disapproval from some viewers who feel that PBS is endorsing him by supporting these programs. Continue

Heidi Heitkamp Full Interview

To The Contrary

U.S. Senate candidate from North Dakota, Heidi Heitkamp, sat down with To the Contrary to discuss her run for office, why more women should be in office and what's best for North Dakota. Continue

Gwen's Take: Bill Raspberry, 1935-2012

Washington Week

Bill Raspberry was the one who made it his business to keep an eye out for the young, black reporters who could otherwise get lost in the rush of an important, big-city newsroom. Continue

July 20, 2012

To The Contrary

Marissa Mayer announced her new role as CEO of Yahoo this week, and then revealed she is six months pregnant; The State Department is teaming up with World Bank and Gallup to close the gender gap in data; The media darling talks about her new book, her road trip across the U.S. and the future for young women in the Republican party. Continue

Homeland: Immigration in America - Preview

Homeland: Immigration in America

Probe one of the nation’s most polarizing issues and a key topic in the 2012 election: immigration. 7/20/2012 Continue

Gwen's Take: Cheers and Jeers At the NAACP Convention

Washington Week

You have probably already heard that they booed Mitt Romney and cheered Joe Biden at the NAACP convention in Houston, Texas this week. Here is why it goes much deeper than that. Continue

The Mailbag: Did Frontline Smudge Its Fingerprint?

PBS Ombudsman

Frontline's look at the real world of forensic science in criminal investigations that aired in April stirred up a small but well-informed group of critics who argued it was biased and one-sided and would undermine public confidence in the reliability of fingerprinting, in particular. Frontline, obviously, disagrees. The ombudsman’s mailbag this week posts a long exchange between the two sides. Continue

Flunking the Perception Test

PBS Ombudsman

Dow Chemical Company is among the world’s biggest, but lots of viewers were upset that it was chosen to sponsor a new PBS series called “America Revealed” that focuses on a lot of the industrial activities that Dow’s many businesses have a stake in. The ombudsman has no problem with Dow and no problem with the program, but combining the two appears as though PBS is flunking the “perception test." Continue

Wayne Dyer: '...a Religious Point of View'?

PBS Ombudsman

Some new letters to the ombudsman sharpen the questioning about whether self-development and motivational guru Dr. Wayne Dyer is subtly crossing the non-sectarian line in his pledge drive programs for PBS. There is no specific religion advocated but lots of talk about God. The ombudsman is left with a sense that this goes too far. Continue

Independent Lens Brings a Focus on PBS

PBS Ombudsman

PBS is trying to reorganize its primetime schedule in a way that holds on to more viewers from one program to the next. Makes sense, right? But when those changes involve switching two long-running, award-winning independent film series—Independent Lens and POV—onto a different evening, one typically used for local programming, it has stirred up controversy among filmmakers and station managers. Continue

Columnist and Strategist: Not a Good Pairing

PBS Ombudsman

The PBS NewsHour thinks it’s okay to pair-up for a discussion about women’s issues and politics, a newspaper columnist—who is liberal on some issues but shows an independent frame of thinking—and a Republican political strategist. The ombudsman thinks that confuses roles, sets up a false equivalence and is journalistically wrong. Continue

TTC Extra: Women and AIDS

To The Contrary

Women make up half the world's HIV infection, and adolescent girls are at particular risk. Experts at this week's International AIDS Conference experts call women an 'unfinished agenda' in the AIDS respose and urge action on education and treatment. See what our panelists think on this week's To The Contrary Extra. Continue

Chat with Gwen Ifill on Thursday at 1 pm ET

Washington Week

Thursday, July 25, 2012 at 1 pm Eastern. Join Gwen Ifill for a live chat to discuss the 2012 Election, Washington Week and the PBS NewsHour and more. Continue

Gwen's Take: Searching for Mr. (or Ms.) Right

Washington Week

I am about to break a promise I made to you. I said this would be a safe space, one that would not turn itself over to rank speculation about the vice presidential sweepstakes. An alphabetical guide through the trial balloons, wild speculation and received conventional wisdom. Continue

Journalist Paul Ingrassia

Tavis Smiley

The Pulitzer Prize winner examines the synonym of Detroit and the auto industry, as detailed in Engines of Change, and weighs in on whether the U.S. is doomed for a double-dip recession.” Continue

Journalist Rajiv Chandrasekaran