Opinion
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
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
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
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
PBS Ombudsman
Twenty years after he assumed office, Bill Clinton is the subject of another in the series of presidential biographies presented by American Experience. The scenes are familiar, all too familiar for some. But the mail to the ombudsman also makes clear that views of the 42nd president have changed with time, and his accomplishments, say several viewers, should have commanded more attention. Continue
PBS Ombudsman
A lot of heat erupted in an unlikely place last Friday: the weekly Shields and Brooks analysis segment of the PBS NewsHour. The subject was the administration’s newly announced, but until recently under-reported, policy of covering contraceptive coverage, with some exceptions, in employer-provided health insurance. Continue
PBS Ombudsman
Would you like to wear clustered drop earrings like Downton Abbey’s Lady Sybill Crawley, or a knotted pearl necklace like Lady Mary Crawley? Shop PBS. Whoops! It’s too late. The Brits have complained and PBS has complied. No more knock-offs. Just watch and enjoy the programs. Continue
To The Contrary
A man is suing his ex-fiance for more than $60 thousand because they didn't get married. Continue
Washington Week
Christine Mastin, an immigration attorney whose Spanish-speaking grandmother emigrated from Chile to the United States, realizes that most of the Hispanics she knows are surprised she is a Republican. Barack Obama won two-thirds of the Latino vote in 2008, and no Republican has come close to winning a majority in 40 years. But she is working Colorado for Mitt Romney. Continue
To The Contrary
For the first time in U.S. history, white newborns are outnumbered by babies of color; the U.S. Army recently made history by officially opening jobs in combat battalions to women, but direct ground combat roles are still exclusive to men; To The Contrary travels to China to explore the role the U.S. Foreign Service plays in diplomacy overseas. Continue
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
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
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
PBS Ombudsman
President Obama has said that the United States will always have Israel’s back when it comes to Israel’s security. What does that mean? Suppose the Israelis strike when the U.S. feels there is still a chance for a diplomatic solution? Who is asking about the details of the U.S. commitment and what might happen if another war is started? PBS should be asking those questions. Continue
PBS Ombudsman
Anthony Shadid, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his coverage of the Middle East while with The Washington Post, and a strong contender for another Pulitzer for his coverage last year of the Arab Spring for The New York Times, died on Thursday on assignment inside Syria. Shadid was widely viewed as among the very best, if not the best, U.S. foreign correspondent of his generation. Continue
PBS Ombudsman
Fact-checking is crucial during these highly intense days of political battle. Newspapers do a pretty good job but there is not enough of this on television. The NewsHour did the right thing this week in inviting a fact-check of the President’s State of the Union address, but it wasn’t appreciated by some viewers who felt it fell short and didn’t include checking the Republican response. Continue
To The Contrary
epublican women in the House of Representatives start a new caucus to highlight female lawmakers and court women voters; so-called "pink collar" jobs like nursing and primary education are recruiting more men than ever before; A new organization lobbies for better working conditions of models in the United States. Continue
Washington Week
Looking for some good summer reading? Check out the books Gwen and the Washington Week panelists recommend for the beach, the car, the plane or the pool. From fiction to politics, history to biography, there is something for everybody. The smartest reporters in Washington, D.C. bring you their suggestions for the summer's best reads. Continue
To The Contrary
Republicans and Democrats are launching an all-out competition for women's votes in time for the midterm elections. This week marks the ninetieth anniversary of women receiving the right to vote. Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are working together to slow the effects of climate change. Continue
To The Contrary
The Violence Against Women Act stalls in Congress, with separate version of the bill passing in the Republican controlled House and the Democrat controlled Senate. See what our panelists think in this week's To the Contrary Extra. Continue
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In the midst of the holiday spending and consumption frenzy, Bill Moyers interviews author Benjamin Barber about how capitalism isn't living up to its potential to serve society.
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