Tomlinson quits US public broadcasting board

[zimv20]

link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051104/media_nm/media_usa_broadcasting_dc_1)

some good media news...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Kenneth Tomlinson, the former board chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accused by critics of trying to politicize public television and radio, has resigned from the board, it said on Thursday.

Tomlinson, a Republican, quit shortly before CPB Inspector General Kenneth Konz was to publish a report after investigating his activities, including paying outside researchers to check public programming for liberal bias.

Critics, including broadcasters and congressional Democrats, accused Tomlinson of trying to advance his own conservative agenda in public broadcasting, which is supposed to be non-partisan.

Details of the investigation have not yet been reported. It also looked into the selection of a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee as CPB president, according to Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), a North Dakota Democrat.

The CPB said both the board and Tomlinson believed it was in the best interest of the CPB that he step down.

(more)

[miloblithe]

Hey! That's where I'm working!

[LethalWolfe]

That is a good bit of news.


Lethal

[mactastic]

Interesting. I wonder when the report comes out.

[IJ Reilly]

Interesting. I wonder when the report comes out.

Some time this month, from what I've heard.

Not that his replacement will be any less partisan.

[Thomas Veil]

So who's the next chairman? Michael Brown? Harriet Miers? Scooter Libby?

[pseudobrit]

So who's the next chairman? Michael Brown? Harriet Miers? Scooter Libby?

I thought that was the list of next year's Medal of Freedom recipients.

[zimv20]

link (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/05/politics/05broadcast.html?hp&ex=1131166800&en=19b2a34c9561ab7e&ei=5094&partner=homepage)


Spending Inquiry for Top Official on Broadcasting

WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 - Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the head of the federal agency that oversees most government broadcasts to foreign countries, including the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe, is the subject of an inquiry into accusations of misuse of federal money and the use of phantom or unqualified employees, officials involved in that examination said on Friday.

Mr. Tomlinson was ousted from the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Thursday after its inspector general concluded an investigation that was critical of him. That examination looked at his efforts as chairman of the corporation to seek more conservative programs on public radio and television.

But Mr. Tomlinson remains an important official as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The board, whose members include the secretary of state, plays a central role in public diplomacy. It supervises the government's foreign broadcasting operations, including Radio Martí, Radio Sawa and al-Hurra; transmits programs in 61 languages; and says it has more than 100 million listeners each week.

The board has been troubled lately over deep internal divisions and criticism of its Middle East broadcasts. Members of the Arab news media have said its broadcasts are American propaganda.

People involved in the inquiry said that investigators had already interviewed a significant number of officials at the agency and that, if the accusations were substantiated, they could involve criminal violations.

Last July, the inspector general at the State Department opened an inquiry into Mr. Tomlinson's work at the board of governors after Representative Howard L. Berman, Democrat of California, and Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut, forwarded accusations of misuse of money.

The lawmakers requested the inquiry after Mr. Berman received complaints about Mr. Tomlinson from at least one employee at the board, officials said. People involved in the inquiry said it involved accusations that Mr. Tomlinson was spending federal money for personal purposes, using board money for corporation activities, using board employees to do corporation work and hiring ghost employees or improperly qualified employees.

Through an aide at the broadcasting board, Mr. Tomlinson declined to comment Friday about the State Department inquiry.

In recent weeks, State Department investigators have seized records and e-mail from the Broadcasting Board of Governors, officials said. They have shared some material with the inspector general at the corporation, including e-mail traffic between Mr. Tomlinson and White House officials including Karl Rove, a senior adviser to President Bush and a close friend of Mr. Tomlinson.

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it's just all one, big stinkpot with this administration, isn't it?

[Thomas Veil]

link (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/05/politics/05broadcast.html?hp&ex=1131166800&en=19b2a34c9561ab7e&ei=5094&partner=homepage)Jee-zus Cuh-rist. http://users.adelphia.net/~tjveil/images/yeahright.gif

[mactastic]

The f'ed up part is that it will take literally decades to root out all the unqualified ideologues (or just straight loyalist incompetents) put into positions in the government by Bush.

Remember, Brownie is STILL on the federal payroll at some $148,000 a year. :rolleyes: