PBS Sidelines Torture Documentary Until After New President's Inauguration

"Torturing Democracy," a documentary examining the Bush administration's detention and interrogation policies, will be shown on WNET in New York on Thursday and on a grab bag of other public television stations nationwide in coming weeks. But some of the country's viewers will have to watch online if they want to see the program anytime soon because PBS decided that no national airdate was available until Jan. 21, a day after a new presidential administration takes office.

The film's producer and writer, Sherry Jones, rejected that offer and, with the help of Bill Moyers, a PBS mainstay, has been appealing to stations individually to find time on their schedules before 2009. Stations serving about 85 percent of the nation's viewers have agreed to carry the program on some date. But a major gap is Washington. Mary Stewart, a spokeswoman for that city's largest public station, WETA, said, "It's a show we are looking at, but we haven't scheduled it yet."

Ms. Jones said, "Since it is a story about policy, driven from Washington, that is something I wish were different."

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Marlyn]

President Bush was right when he said it was just a "few bad apples".

BAD APPLES = Bush, Cheney, Addington, Yoo, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Rice, ...

[Marlyn]

"PBS was in a no-win situation and would also have been criticized had it decided to show the program before the Nov. 4 election." ???

Being criticized is not the issue here. Practicing journalism is. This is important information that has been around for years, and somehow PBS just can't fit it in to their schedule in a timely manner?

Ever since 2001, PBS has stopped serving the people, but instead, like the commercial TV networks, PBS is dominated by conservatives who are still "Party First".

[sixx]

At some point in time, among the thousand of other things to do, Obama must purge CPB and PBS from the political stranglehold of the right wing mangers.

[Marlyn]

Correct. Obama has a lot of work to do.

[rabiddog6708]

Makes sense in the upsde down world we're living in. Why would anyone want more information prior to making the "big decision" in November. Just like the facts about the WMDs and Iraq, let them come to light after the dark deed has been done.

[one4obama]

For me - not to worry. I ordered the DVD online - should be receiving it any day now!!

[blueshield]

After an invitation from the VP to attend a personal waterboarding demonstration, PBS executives announce torture series will be postponed til VP no longer in office.

[philly282]

this aired in san diego last friday. the interviews with gov't officials were astounding. the footage...blah blah blah...seen it all before

i wrote down the navy's civilian attorney....he should get a freakin medal. im sure oreilly and hannity will call him a traitor

[suec03]

KCET Los Angeles plans to air the program Saturday, November 1 (3 days before the election) and KVCR San Bernardino has it listed to air with the panel discussion on Friday, October 24 at 11:30 PM (set your DVR's or stay up late!).

[kellygrrrl]

can't believe "they" got to PBS. pretty shocking!

[Sp8z]

Not shocking at all when you consider that Exxon-Mobil is their largest underwriter.

[robotfog]

I just need to see those responsible for the torture severely punished.

[cheferic]

In 2004 in republican West Virginia,Virginia area ,the movie 'Bedtime for Bonzo" starring Ronald Regan played EVERY night for over 4 weeks October through election day -everyone remember the good old republican years and let's have some free republican propaganda without ever mentioning anything -blech. So why not all of these movies that highlight the achievements of the current administration?

[Lizaveta]

I recommend Errol Morris' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara and Standard Operating Procedure (About Abu Ghraib.) McCain's immaturity and impulsiveness are all the more disturbing when you compare them to McNamera's introspection.

[piquet]

Forget about PBS...go see"Taxi to the Dark Side " on HBO. If you want to shudder at where our country has come under these ideolgical morons and the likes of McShakes. That doc is all you need. It's done well and reasearch brilliantly. No Michael Moore style shenannigans.

[surlawda]

Glen Greenwald is pointing out that the CEO of Washington's PBS affiliate is the wife of Jay Rockefeller, who was among those briefed by the administration about "enhanced interrogation methods"--including waterboarding--way back in 2002. In 2006, Rockefeller was one of a dozen Democrats to vote in favor of the Military Commissions Act, which authorized CIA's use of waterboarding and other torture techniques and retroactively immunized government officials from liability for past lawbreaking.

[nobozos]

It is also due to blackmail by the Bush Administration which has proposed cutting funding for PBS in half by 2009, and to completely eliminate all funding by 2011.

Blackmail and threats have worked for the crooks and liars for nearly 8 years....why would this be any different?

[robotfog]

yeah but we should be able to reverse anything they do now.

[darthdarcy]

Jay Rockefeller's wife..!

Well, there you go..!

[blood1]

I read somewhere (sorry, I lost the link) that White House threatened to cut ALL Their funding to PBS if they aired the program while Bush is still in the WH. But, you can read / download the dialogue as well as all the other pertinent documentation. It is very scary and revealing.

Reminder to those "shaming" PBS and say no more support...if you take that retalitory action, then there will be no place to get this information, because MSM will never do this type of work.

Download and read....then watch it when it comes to your area...contact your local PBS station and let them know you want to see it...you all know how to be proactive and should use that model rather than complain.

Be sure and read what the US Army Field Manual definitions as TORTURE and determine for yourself if McCain's use of "advanced psychological techniques" that he advances instead of physical torture is allowed.

[piquet]

HBO "Taxi to the Dark Side"...PBS doesn't deserve support and SHOULD suffer in order to learn their lesson.
Zero tolerence...period.