[Magnetonium]

Not surprising considering just how tightly corporations have media under their control (through various means, such as ownership, sponsorship money, ads, shares, etc), but this is a bit disappointing coming from PBS. They changed so much, they used to have no problem airing shows like this back in the day ...

http://host.madison.com/ct/news/local/c ... 06dd3.html

'Citizen Koch' filmmakers claim PBS killed their doc to please Koch brothers

The documentary "Citizen Koch" had two high-profile screenings at the Wisconsin Film Festival in April. But it likely won't be coming to a public television station near you.

On the day after those screenings, the filmmakers found out that their public television backers were pulling the funding, possibly to placate billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

"This report highlights the absolute need for broader public funding for the arts and public media, free of the influence of private donors," "Citizen Koch" co-director Carl Deal told the Capital Times on Monday.

In an illuminating new article in this week's New Yorker that posted online Monday, Jane Mayer chronicles how the documentary from Carl Deal and Tia Lessin became collateral damage in a squabble between the Koch brothers and PBS over a different documentary. "Citizen Koch" looks at the effects of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, which opened the floodgates for unlimited contributions from billionaires like the Kochs, on politics in Wisconsin.

Charles and David Koch didn't put pressure on PBS to kill "Citizen Koch." They didn't have to.

Mayer's article details the controversial airing in November of a documentary by Oscar-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney, "Park Avenue," which compared the residents of a luxury apartment building on New York's Park Avenue to the poor residents living at the other end of Park Avenue, in the Bronx. David Koch lives in the luxury apartment building featured in the film, and is also a board trustee and donor to PBS' New York station, WNET.

According to Mayer, WNET President Neal Shapiro called Koch before the documentary aired to give him a heads-up about the film's critical content. The station allowed Koch Industries to air a disclaimer following the film that called it "disappointing and divisive."

"Why is WNET offering Mr. Koch special favors?" Gibney said to Mayer. "And why did the station allow Koch to offer a critique of a film he hadn't even seen. Money. Money talks." Gibney added that the interference doesn't give him much confidence in the Koch brothers plan to buy Tribune newspapers.

In the end, Mayer writes, Koch was so offended that he cancelled plans to make a seven-figure donation to WNET. Shapiro was sharply critical of the Independent Television Service (ITVS), an arm of PBS that funds and distributes independent films like "Park Avenue," for not giving him an earlier warning of the film's contents.

Another film ITVS was funding was "Citizen Koch." According to Lessin and Deal, the relationship between them and ITVS was relatively smooth — until the Gibney documentary aired.

"It was a real problem, because of 'Park Avenue,'" one unidentified public television official told Mayer. "Because of the whole thing with the Koch brothers, ITVS knew WNET would never air it."

Lessin and Deal said that after that, the filmmakers began to get pressure from ITVS to change the title of the film and de-emphasize the brothers' political influence in the film.

On April 15 — the day after the film played at the Wisconsin Film Festival — the filmmakers found out that ITVS would no longer fund the project, which basically killed its chances of airing on PBS. In another Wisconsin connection, the chair of the ITVS board is Garry Denny, director of programming for Wisconsin Public Television.

ITVS said in a prepared statement that it pulled out because the film didn't reflect the original proposal, which Lessin and Deal denied.

"ITVS backed out of the partnership because they came to fear the reaction that our film would provoke," the filmmakers said in a prepared statement. "David Koch, whose political activities are featured in the film, happens to be a public-television funder and a trustee of both WNET and (Boston PBS station) WGBH.

"This wasn't a failed negotiation or a divergence of visions; it was censorship, pure and simple."

The filmmakers said in Madison in April that they are planning to partner with state and federal organizations to get the film seen around the country in advance of the 2014 elections.

[Kman]

Crazy conspiracy theory wackjobbery, incredible the amount of paranoid delusions that take place regarding the Koch brothers (who are actually pretty normal and decent human beings).

The whole notion that the Koch Brothers control that den of socialists called PBS is also just mindblowingly dumb...... Libertarians like Koch are outnumbered by the dumb socialists at about a ratio of atleast 10 to 1 and yet apparently these poor oppressed socialists cant get any funding for their stupid propaganda hit piece? Poor little oppressed souls.

This whole witch-hunt that the leftists are trying to start against the Koch brothers reminds me of the Nazi propaganda machine in the 1920's and 30's, just outrageous accusations to try and build up a threat, jews in Germany back then were not guilty of even 10% of what the Nazi's accused them of.

[Magnetonium]

Crazy conspiracy theory wackjobbery, incredible the amount of paranoid delusions that take place regarding the Koch brothers (who are actually pretty normal and decent human beings).

The whole notion that the Koch Brothers control that den of socialists called PBS is also just mindblowingly dumb...... Libertarians like Koch are outnumbered by the dumb socialists at about a ratio of atleast 10 to 1 and yet apparently these poor oppressed socialists cant get any funding for their stupid propaganda hit piece? Poor little oppressed souls.

This whole witch-hunt that the leftists are trying to start against the Koch brothers reminds me of the Nazi propaganda machine in the 1920's and 30's, just outrageous accusations to try and build up a threat, jews in Germany back then were not guilty of even 10% of what the Nazi's accused them of.

Wow that was intense, even a reference to Nazis, can't top this response. so the article is all lies, eh

[Kman]

Wow that was intense, even a reference to Nazis, can't top this response. so the article is all lies, eh

Sorry I am just sick and tired of fucking leftists and their conspiracy theory bullshit, "duuuuuh the tea party only exists because of the Koch Brothers" (it could never be because millions of americans simply dislike excessive government), "duuuhhh the Koch Brothers control the media" (even though they so far own no newspapers), "duuuh the Koch brothers control congress with their influence" (even though congress has done nothing but grow government influence constantly for the last 40 years atleast).

[Magnetonium]

This is not a conspiracy. The documentary was pulled because the funding was taken out right after the initial pre-screenings. Given its subject, and connections of those who did the financing ... connect the dots.

You're just being a bit hysterical. I don't see this as a big deal, its almost an every day occurrence in this part of the world. Why would corporations give funding to a media outlet or project that portrays a negative outlook of them? I didn't need all those Noam Chomsky investigations to learn this a while ago (i.e., Manufacturing Consent). Its not that big of a deal - but perhaps Koch brothers and/or their affiliates can step in and give funding to the documentary and put the "conspiracy nuts" to rest, right?

There's no evidence or indication that Koch brothers themselves killed the project, but why would their friends give funding to a documentary like this? It makes sense.

[Kman]

This is not a conspiracy. The documentary was pulled because the funding was taken out right after the initial pre-screenings.

Or maybe it was pulled because the WNET people didnt want to fund socialist lies and propaganda? I have read about the Citizen Koch "documentary" and I didnt find anything bad in it about the Kochs's other than David Koch being thrifty and not being like a gangbanger out on the town with his money, throwing them around to the nearest poor and lazy slob.

Given its subject, and connections of those who did the financing ... connect the dots.

Given that it was a highly biased piece of work, connect the dots....

Why would corporations give funding to a media outlet or project that portrays a negative outlook of them? I didn't need all those Noam Chomsky investigations to learn this a while ago (i.e., Manufacturing Consent)

How much of WNET funding comes from libertarians like David Koch? 3%? 5%?, this is PBS (a highly leftist station network) in New York (a highly leftist city), I doubt it depends heavily on right-wing libertarian money for survival.

[Rainbow Crow]

All hail the Koch Brothers, may they buy up every source of media in North America and turn them like swords against the breasts of the pagan hordes.

But yes, expecting the Koch Brothers to fund "Citizen Koch" might have been a bit much.