Posted by
Mike Bates on Thursday, September 25, 2008 11:05:34 AM
It's been a rough few days
for PBS. Viewers are noticing some of PBS's bias and they're not
liking it. Last week the network's ombudsman had to explain actor Mike Farrell's cheap shot against Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin during a PBS fundraising program.
At the same time, he defended a poll on NOW on PBS's home page. NewsBuster Jacob S. Lybbert
noted the poll was comprised of a single question: "Do you think Sarah
Palin is qualified to serve as Vice President of the United States?"
Some viewers thought the question inherently unfair; after all, PBS
never ran a poll asking if Barack Obama or Joe Biden are qualified for
the positions they're seeking.
The ombudsman concluded the poll was fair. Part of his reasoning:
As for Obama, he announced his candidacy in February
2007, received more than 17 million votes during the primary campaign,
won 18 states in those primaries and 13 others where there were
caucuses, and has been in scores of candidate debates and press
interviews. So a large number of people have already stated that they
think he is qualified. . .
Actually, it was a large number of Democrats - not the public
at large - who voted for Obama. Their support for him didn't
necessarily mean they believe him to be qualified, only that they
preferred him to the other names on the ballot.
The Palin poll, obviously, could not be limited to Republicans. As
it turns out, that wasn't the only problem with it. John Siceloff,
executive producer of NOW on PBS, has issued a statement. Titled "The Sarah Palin Poll: New and Improved - One User, One Vote,"
he notes that, as of September 23, a user can only vote once per
computer. It wasn't originally arranged that way because "we at NOW
had serious concerns about user privacy." Which means, naturally, that
the poll is "absolutely not" scientific, a proviso that people learning
of poll results may not be aware of.
PBS staffers apparently want to put the matter behind them:
The Palin poll is no longer in our home page rotation.
We've moved on to other polls; each week you'll find one in the bottom
right corner of our home page. The current poll asks, "Who do you trust
more to fix the nation's economic mess—Barack Obama or John McCain?" It
has already attracted a lot of interest.
As Election Day nears, Americans are increasingly sensitive to
mainstream media bias. A network receiving tax dollars as well as
viewer contributions should exercise caution. But, based on past
performance, it probably won't. They'll just keep having to explain.