Pols threaten PBS' independence
Pols threaten PBS' independence
CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com
Copyright by Chicago Sun-Times
June 10, 2007
Congressman Luis Gutierrez and I respectfully but strongly disagree about something.
No, not immigration. The Chicago Democrat and I are on the same page in that divisive debate.
What we disagree about, amazingly, is PBS. And its mission.
PBS, home of Big Bird, the Lehrer "Newshour" and "Frontline," is in trouble. And that trouble is that it is perilously close to losing its journalistic integrity and artistic independence to Congress, both the right and left wings, each trying to use it as their own political power tool.
In the interests of full disclosure, I appear regularly on WTTW, the PBS station in Chicago. And I am a documentary producer whose work has aired on public television. But in this, I speak only for myself.
There is a fierce fight under way involving Ken Burns, one of the finest documentarians in the world. Burns has, since 1981, been the gold standard for his films on baseball, jazz and now, arguably, World War II.
The problem is that his new seven-part, 14-hour series titled "The War" did not have any Hispanic participation. It's not scheduled to air until September, and his critics have not seen it. But for months Hispanic organizations and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have protested that fact, demanding redress of PBS, its funding arm, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Burns' corporate sponsors.
From the point of view of Gutierrez and others, the omission is unforgivable because, he says, ''Five hundred thousand Latinos served, 13 Medal of Honor winners among them. . . . In the immigration debate we see Latinos attacked,'' not given credit for their contributions.
''We have a responsibility and an obligation and a social responsibility for historical accuracy," said Gutierrez, "and this seems a reasonable request."
It isn't. And I don't say that out of anything other than complete respect for the noble sacrifices of Hispanics who have served and continue to serve this nation proudly.
But Burns' documentary is not billed as a definitive history of the war at all, but an exploration of four geographically separate parts of the country where people were willing to come forward and talk about their battlefield and hometown experiences.
To the best of my knowledge, his original effort did not include Native American veterans or women who served in the armed forces. Burns' work is an artistic, not historically comprehensive, piece.
Is that OK?
Apparently not. The pressure has been so intense on PBS and Burns, including the implicit threat that funding will be yanked from public broadcasting, that PBS and Burns caved and will re-edit portions of the documentary.
And at the same time this was happening, there began to be pressure on PBS and CPB to force it to air a documentary on Islam promoted mostly by congressional conservatives even though PBS had judged it journalistically inadequate.
All this does is remind us that the left is no better than the right when it comes to political correctness. When Republicans controlled Congress, the Bush administration was banging PBS over the head to bend its message to more conservative interests. Lordy, there was even an effort to have Lynne Cheney, wife of the vice president, do a children's show, of all things. Who needed Sponge Bob when right-wing Republicanism can be so darn kid-friendly?
Democrats who were screaming and yelling about the hijacking of PBS back then now seem quite prepared to hijack it themselves and somehow don't see Newt Gingrich when they look into the mirror.
Well, they should.
We are in an era in news and documentary production where broadcast outlets, newspapers and radio stations are under extreme financial pressure. Few of them fight fiercely for their independence the way they used to. It really is time to stand up for what is a legitimate and thoughtful debate about the role of artistic expression in a free society.
And it's time for PBS and CPB, which ironically were designed by Congress to be free of political and commercial pressures, to grow some backbone.
What's next, after all?
Maybe, critics suggest, a "Nova" series on the evolution of the snail darter that finds its funding threatened, forced to re-edit because of an insufficient nod to Creationism?
Editors note:
Just a lesson in history:
Source Wikipedia
The 65th Infantry Regiment nicknamed "The Borinqueneers"; is an all-volunteer Puerto Rican Regiment of the U.S. Army whose motto is Honor and Fidelity and which participated in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. This was the only unit ever transferred from active component Army to the National Guard.
Puerto Ricans have participated in every major American military conflict, from the American Revolution when volunteers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico fought the British in 1779 under the command of General Bernardo de Gálvez (1746-1786), to the present-day conflict in Iraq. However, it was during the Korean War that Puerto Ricans suffered the most casualties as members of an all-Hispanic volunteer unit. Among the problems that they faced were the difference in languages: the common foot soldier spoke only Spanish, while the commanding officers were mostly English-speaking Americans and the harsh cold climate. Despite the hardships suffered by the members of the 65th Infantry, Puerto Ricans were able to serve with pride and honor.
In 1942, at the outbreak of World War II, the 65th Infantry underwent an extensive training program and in 1943, it was sent to Panama to protect the Pacific and the Atlantic sides of the Isthmus. On 1944, the Regiment was sent to North Africa, arriving at Casablanca where they underwent further training. By April 29, 1944, the Regiment had landed in Italy and moved on to Corsica. On September 22, 1944, the 65th Infantry landed in France and was committed to action on the Maritime Alps at Peira Cava. They suffered a total of forty seven battle casualties and received 13 Medal of Honor among them. The first Puerto Rican to be killed in action from the 65th Infantry was Sgt. Angel Martinez, from the town of Sabana Grande. On March 18, 1945, the Regiment was sent to the District of Mannheim, Germany and assigned to Military Government activities, anti-sabotage and security missions. In all, the 65th Infantry participated in the battles of Naples-Fogis, Rome-Arno, Central Europe and of the Rhineland. On October 27, 1945 the Regiment sailed from France arriving at Puerto Rico on November 9, 1945.
On August 26, 1950, the 65th Infantry departed from Puerto Rico and arrived in Pusan, Korea on September 23, 1950. It was during the long sea voyage that the men nicknamed the 65th Infantry "Borinqueneers". The name is a combination of the words "Borinquen" (which was what the Tainos called the island before the arrival of the Spaniards) and "Buccaneers". The men of the 65th were among first infantrymen to meet the enemy on the battle fields of Korea. One of the hardships suffered by the Puerto Ricans was the lack of warm clothing during the cold and harsh winters. The enemy made many attempts to encircle the Regiment, but each time they failed because of the many casualties inflicted by the 65th. The 65th was part of a task force which enabled the U.S. Marines to withdraw from the Chosin Reservoir on December 1950. When the Marines were encircled by the Chinese Communist troops close to the Manchurian border, the 65th rushed to their defense. As a consequence, the Marines were able to return safely to their ships.
Among the battles and operations in which the 65th participated was the Operation "Killer" of January 1951, becoming the first Regiment to cross the Han River. On April 1951, the Regiment participated in the Uijonber Corridor drives and on June 1951, the 65th was the third Regiment to cross the Han Ton River. The 65th was the Regiment which took and held Cherwon and they were also instrumental in breaking the "Iron Triangle" of Hill 717 on July 1951. On November 1951, the Regiment fought off an attack by two Regimental size enemy units, with success. Colonel Juan Cesar Cordero Davila was named commander of 65th Infantry on February 8, 1952, thus becoming one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the Army.
On July 3, 1952, the Regiment defended the MLR for 47 days and saw action at Cognac, King and Queen with successful attacks on Chinese positions. On October the Regiment also saw action in the Cherwon Sector and on Iron Horse, Hill 391, whose lower part was called "Jackson Heights" (see: Col. Carlos Betances Ramirez). On September 1952, the 65th Infantry was holding on to a hill known as "Outpost Kelly". Chinese Communist forces which had joined the North Koreans, overran the hill in what became known as the Battle for Outpost Kelly. Twice the 65th Regiment was overwhelmed by Chinese artillery and driven off.
Company "C" on patrol
On June 1953, the 2nd Battalion conducted a series of successful raids on Hill 412 and on November the Regiment successfully counter-attacked enemy units in the Numsong Valley and held their positions until a cease-fire was reached.
The 65th Infantry was awarded battle participation credits for the following nine campaigns: UN Defense-1950, UN Offense-1950, CCF Intervenntion-1950, First UN Counterattack Offensive-1951, UN and CCF Spring Offensive-1951, UN Summer-Fall Offensive-1951, 2nd Korean Winter 1951-52, Korean Summer-Fall-1952 and 3rd Korean Winter-1952-53.
Ten Distinguished Service Cross, 256 Silver Star Medals and 606 Bronze Star Medals for valor were awarded to the men of the 65th Infantry. According to "El Nuevo Día Newspaper, 30 May 2004" a total of 756 Puerto Ricans lost their lives in Korea, from all four branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. More than half of these were from the 65th Infantry (not including non-Puerto Ricans).
The 65th Infantry returned to Puerto Rico and was deactivated in 1956. However, Brig. General Juan Cordero, Puerto Rico's Adjutant General, persuaded the Department of the Army to transfer the 65th Infantry from the regular Army to the Puerto Rican National Guard. This was the only unit ever transferred from active component Army to the National Guard.
El Monumento de la Recordación
The 65th Infantry was recognized as a World War II liberating unit by the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994. Puerto Rico honored the unit by naming one of its principal avenues "La 65 de Infanteria" in San Juan.
The names of those who perished in combat are inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), which was unveiled on May 19, 1996 and is situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On May 20, 2001, the government of Puerto Rico unveiled a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment. The monument contains a statue of a soldier wearing a poncho with his rifle in one hand and the regiment’s flag in the other hand.
CAROL MARIN cmarin@suntimes.com
Copyright by Chicago Sun-Times
June 10, 2007
Congressman Luis Gutierrez and I respectfully but strongly disagree about something.
No, not immigration. The Chicago Democrat and I are on the same page in that divisive debate.
What we disagree about, amazingly, is PBS. And its mission.
PBS, home of Big Bird, the Lehrer "Newshour" and "Frontline," is in trouble. And that trouble is that it is perilously close to losing its journalistic integrity and artistic independence to Congress, both the right and left wings, each trying to use it as their own political power tool.
In the interests of full disclosure, I appear regularly on WTTW, the PBS station in Chicago. And I am a documentary producer whose work has aired on public television. But in this, I speak only for myself.
There is a fierce fight under way involving Ken Burns, one of the finest documentarians in the world. Burns has, since 1981, been the gold standard for his films on baseball, jazz and now, arguably, World War II.
The problem is that his new seven-part, 14-hour series titled "The War" did not have any Hispanic participation. It's not scheduled to air until September, and his critics have not seen it. But for months Hispanic organizations and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have protested that fact, demanding redress of PBS, its funding arm, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Burns' corporate sponsors.
From the point of view of Gutierrez and others, the omission is unforgivable because, he says, ''Five hundred thousand Latinos served, 13 Medal of Honor winners among them. . . . In the immigration debate we see Latinos attacked,'' not given credit for their contributions.
''We have a responsibility and an obligation and a social responsibility for historical accuracy," said Gutierrez, "and this seems a reasonable request."
It isn't. And I don't say that out of anything other than complete respect for the noble sacrifices of Hispanics who have served and continue to serve this nation proudly.
But Burns' documentary is not billed as a definitive history of the war at all, but an exploration of four geographically separate parts of the country where people were willing to come forward and talk about their battlefield and hometown experiences.
To the best of my knowledge, his original effort did not include Native American veterans or women who served in the armed forces. Burns' work is an artistic, not historically comprehensive, piece.
Is that OK?
Apparently not. The pressure has been so intense on PBS and Burns, including the implicit threat that funding will be yanked from public broadcasting, that PBS and Burns caved and will re-edit portions of the documentary.
And at the same time this was happening, there began to be pressure on PBS and CPB to force it to air a documentary on Islam promoted mostly by congressional conservatives even though PBS had judged it journalistically inadequate.
All this does is remind us that the left is no better than the right when it comes to political correctness. When Republicans controlled Congress, the Bush administration was banging PBS over the head to bend its message to more conservative interests. Lordy, there was even an effort to have Lynne Cheney, wife of the vice president, do a children's show, of all things. Who needed Sponge Bob when right-wing Republicanism can be so darn kid-friendly?
Democrats who were screaming and yelling about the hijacking of PBS back then now seem quite prepared to hijack it themselves and somehow don't see Newt Gingrich when they look into the mirror.
Well, they should.
We are in an era in news and documentary production where broadcast outlets, newspapers and radio stations are under extreme financial pressure. Few of them fight fiercely for their independence the way they used to. It really is time to stand up for what is a legitimate and thoughtful debate about the role of artistic expression in a free society.
And it's time for PBS and CPB, which ironically were designed by Congress to be free of political and commercial pressures, to grow some backbone.
What's next, after all?
Maybe, critics suggest, a "Nova" series on the evolution of the snail darter that finds its funding threatened, forced to re-edit because of an insufficient nod to Creationism?
Editors note:
Just a lesson in history:
Source Wikipedia
The 65th Infantry Regiment nicknamed "The Borinqueneers"; is an all-volunteer Puerto Rican Regiment of the U.S. Army whose motto is Honor and Fidelity and which participated in World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. This was the only unit ever transferred from active component Army to the National Guard.
Puerto Ricans have participated in every major American military conflict, from the American Revolution when volunteers from Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Mexico fought the British in 1779 under the command of General Bernardo de Gálvez (1746-1786), to the present-day conflict in Iraq. However, it was during the Korean War that Puerto Ricans suffered the most casualties as members of an all-Hispanic volunteer unit. Among the problems that they faced were the difference in languages: the common foot soldier spoke only Spanish, while the commanding officers were mostly English-speaking Americans and the harsh cold climate. Despite the hardships suffered by the members of the 65th Infantry, Puerto Ricans were able to serve with pride and honor.
In 1942, at the outbreak of World War II, the 65th Infantry underwent an extensive training program and in 1943, it was sent to Panama to protect the Pacific and the Atlantic sides of the Isthmus. On 1944, the Regiment was sent to North Africa, arriving at Casablanca where they underwent further training. By April 29, 1944, the Regiment had landed in Italy and moved on to Corsica. On September 22, 1944, the 65th Infantry landed in France and was committed to action on the Maritime Alps at Peira Cava. They suffered a total of forty seven battle casualties and received 13 Medal of Honor among them. The first Puerto Rican to be killed in action from the 65th Infantry was Sgt. Angel Martinez, from the town of Sabana Grande. On March 18, 1945, the Regiment was sent to the District of Mannheim, Germany and assigned to Military Government activities, anti-sabotage and security missions. In all, the 65th Infantry participated in the battles of Naples-Fogis, Rome-Arno, Central Europe and of the Rhineland. On October 27, 1945 the Regiment sailed from France arriving at Puerto Rico on November 9, 1945.
On August 26, 1950, the 65th Infantry departed from Puerto Rico and arrived in Pusan, Korea on September 23, 1950. It was during the long sea voyage that the men nicknamed the 65th Infantry "Borinqueneers". The name is a combination of the words "Borinquen" (which was what the Tainos called the island before the arrival of the Spaniards) and "Buccaneers". The men of the 65th were among first infantrymen to meet the enemy on the battle fields of Korea. One of the hardships suffered by the Puerto Ricans was the lack of warm clothing during the cold and harsh winters. The enemy made many attempts to encircle the Regiment, but each time they failed because of the many casualties inflicted by the 65th. The 65th was part of a task force which enabled the U.S. Marines to withdraw from the Chosin Reservoir on December 1950. When the Marines were encircled by the Chinese Communist troops close to the Manchurian border, the 65th rushed to their defense. As a consequence, the Marines were able to return safely to their ships.
Among the battles and operations in which the 65th participated was the Operation "Killer" of January 1951, becoming the first Regiment to cross the Han River. On April 1951, the Regiment participated in the Uijonber Corridor drives and on June 1951, the 65th was the third Regiment to cross the Han Ton River. The 65th was the Regiment which took and held Cherwon and they were also instrumental in breaking the "Iron Triangle" of Hill 717 on July 1951. On November 1951, the Regiment fought off an attack by two Regimental size enemy units, with success. Colonel Juan Cesar Cordero Davila was named commander of 65th Infantry on February 8, 1952, thus becoming one of the highest ranking ethnic officers in the Army.
On July 3, 1952, the Regiment defended the MLR for 47 days and saw action at Cognac, King and Queen with successful attacks on Chinese positions. On October the Regiment also saw action in the Cherwon Sector and on Iron Horse, Hill 391, whose lower part was called "Jackson Heights" (see: Col. Carlos Betances Ramirez). On September 1952, the 65th Infantry was holding on to a hill known as "Outpost Kelly". Chinese Communist forces which had joined the North Koreans, overran the hill in what became known as the Battle for Outpost Kelly. Twice the 65th Regiment was overwhelmed by Chinese artillery and driven off.
Company "C" on patrol
On June 1953, the 2nd Battalion conducted a series of successful raids on Hill 412 and on November the Regiment successfully counter-attacked enemy units in the Numsong Valley and held their positions until a cease-fire was reached.
The 65th Infantry was awarded battle participation credits for the following nine campaigns: UN Defense-1950, UN Offense-1950, CCF Intervenntion-1950, First UN Counterattack Offensive-1951, UN and CCF Spring Offensive-1951, UN Summer-Fall Offensive-1951, 2nd Korean Winter 1951-52, Korean Summer-Fall-1952 and 3rd Korean Winter-1952-53.
Ten Distinguished Service Cross, 256 Silver Star Medals and 606 Bronze Star Medals for valor were awarded to the men of the 65th Infantry. According to "El Nuevo Día Newspaper, 30 May 2004" a total of 756 Puerto Ricans lost their lives in Korea, from all four branches of the U.S. Armed Forces. More than half of these were from the 65th Infantry (not including non-Puerto Ricans).
The 65th Infantry returned to Puerto Rico and was deactivated in 1956. However, Brig. General Juan Cordero, Puerto Rico's Adjutant General, persuaded the Department of the Army to transfer the 65th Infantry from the regular Army to the Puerto Rican National Guard. This was the only unit ever transferred from active component Army to the National Guard.
El Monumento de la Recordación
The 65th Infantry was recognized as a World War II liberating unit by the U.S. Army's Center of Military History and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1994. Puerto Rico honored the unit by naming one of its principal avenues "La 65 de Infanteria" in San Juan.
The names of those who perished in combat are inscribed in "El Monumento de la Recordación" (Monument of Remembrance), which was unveiled on May 19, 1996 and is situated in front of the Capitol Building in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
On May 20, 2001, the government of Puerto Rico unveiled a monument honoring the 65th Infantry Regiment. The monument contains a statue of a soldier wearing a poncho with his rifle in one hand and the regiment’s flag in the other hand.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 8:22 AM
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