Press Release
Groups demand release of Rove-Tomlinson e-mails
Contact: Timothy Karr, 201-533-8838
WASHINGTON -- Free Press, the Center for Digital Democracy and Common Cause sent a letter today to top officials of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, demanding the immediate release of all evidence uncovered during a recently completed Inspector General's investigation -- including e-mail correspondence between ex-CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson and White House adviser Karl Rove.
"The CPB board and the Inspector General must not be permitted to maintain a secret dossier on potential illegal and unethical activities," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "They should immediately disclose all the information related to efforts to force programming changes onto PBS and NPR. The public needs to know whether high-ranking White House officials dictated or influenced public broadcasting content."
Statements given to reporters by Inspector General Kenneth Konz indicate that Tomlinson discussed programming and hiring decisions at the CPB with Rove and other White House officials from November 2003 to May 2005. According to Bloomberg News, Tomlinson wrote to Rove that he was "finding programs to balance the Moyers report" and working "to shake up" the organization and hire Republican staff. Konz described Rove's response as, "a cryptic encouragement, a congratulations." The White House refused to cooperate with Konz's investigation.
"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting needs to come clean about the full extent of the Bush administration's efforts to interfere with PBS and NPR," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. "The CPB board can't simply sweep this under the rug and tell us to trust them, while Karl Rove stonewalls investigators. Congress needs to demand real answers from the White House and put an end to the cover-up at the CPB. The American people have a right to know what's happening to their public broadcasting system and must be allowed to judge the evidence themselves."
The Inspector General's report released on Nov. 15 cites delivery of a "separate investigative report, along with specific evidence indicating possible wrongdoing, to the Board for their disposition." PBS President Patricia Harrison has refused to release the e-mails and other documents contained in this separate report, citing "confidentiality agreements."
"This goes beyond the public's basic right-to-know," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. "What's at stake is the public's confidence in the CPB to dramatically change course and regain our trust and confidence in this important American institution."
The full text of the letter follows:
Nov. 17, 2005
Chairwoman Cheryl Halpern
Vice Chairwoman Gay Hart Gaines
President Patricia Harrison
Inspector General Kenneth Konz
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
401 Ninth Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
Ms. Halpern, Ms. Gaines, Ms. Harrison and Mr. Konz:
The report issued by the Inspector General earlier this week on political interference at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting excludes key evidence uncovered during the investigation. We ask you to immediately release to the public all reports, documents and evidence given by the Inspector General to CPB Board of Directors or members of Congress.
The report released by Mr. Konz on Nov. 15 cites delivery of a "separate investigative report, along with specific evidence indicating possible wrongdoing, to the Board for their disposition." It is highly inappropriate for members of the board, CPB senior staff and the Office of Inspector General to keep these materials secret.
Recent press accounts indicate that the Board possesses extensive evidence of potentially inappropriate communications between the CPB and White House officials. According to statements made by Inspector General Konz to Bloomberg News, former CPB Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson discussed programming and hiring matters at the agency with presidential adviser Karl Rove and other White House officials between November 2003 and May 2005.
The Inspector General's report describes "e-mails between the former Chairman and staff in the Executive Office of the President that, while cryptic in nature … [give] the appearance that the former Chairman was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the President/CEO position."
We remain deeply concerned about possible interference by the White House in programming and hiring decisions at the CPB -- and whether any further laws may have been violated.
The public's right to know transcends the politically convenient "confidentiality agreements" Ms. Harrison claims prevent release of the documents. The public must be allowed to judge for itself the importance the correspondence between the CPB and top Bush administration officials or any other evidence shared privately with the board.
By withholding information, you are not serving the mission of public broadcasting.
The American people must be told the full story of what transpired at the CPB.
Sincerely,
Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press
Jeff Chester
Executive Director
Center for Digital Democracy
Chellie Pingree
President
Common Cause
"The CPB board and the Inspector General must not be permitted to maintain a secret dossier on potential illegal and unethical activities," said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy. "They should immediately disclose all the information related to efforts to force programming changes onto PBS and NPR. The public needs to know whether high-ranking White House officials dictated or influenced public broadcasting content."
Statements given to reporters by Inspector General Kenneth Konz indicate that Tomlinson discussed programming and hiring decisions at the CPB with Rove and other White House officials from November 2003 to May 2005. According to Bloomberg News, Tomlinson wrote to Rove that he was "finding programs to balance the Moyers report" and working "to shake up" the organization and hire Republican staff. Konz described Rove's response as, "a cryptic encouragement, a congratulations." The White House refused to cooperate with Konz's investigation.
"The Corporation for Public Broadcasting needs to come clean about the full extent of the Bush administration's efforts to interfere with PBS and NPR," said Josh Silver, executive director of Free Press. "The CPB board can't simply sweep this under the rug and tell us to trust them, while Karl Rove stonewalls investigators. Congress needs to demand real answers from the White House and put an end to the cover-up at the CPB. The American people have a right to know what's happening to their public broadcasting system and must be allowed to judge the evidence themselves."
The Inspector General's report released on Nov. 15 cites delivery of a "separate investigative report, along with specific evidence indicating possible wrongdoing, to the Board for their disposition." PBS President Patricia Harrison has refused to release the e-mails and other documents contained in this separate report, citing "confidentiality agreements."
"This goes beyond the public's basic right-to-know," said Common Cause President Chellie Pingree. "What's at stake is the public's confidence in the CPB to dramatically change course and regain our trust and confidence in this important American institution."
The full text of the letter follows:
Nov. 17, 2005
Chairwoman Cheryl Halpern
Vice Chairwoman Gay Hart Gaines
President Patricia Harrison
Inspector General Kenneth Konz
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
401 Ninth Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
Ms. Halpern, Ms. Gaines, Ms. Harrison and Mr. Konz:
The report issued by the Inspector General earlier this week on political interference at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting excludes key evidence uncovered during the investigation. We ask you to immediately release to the public all reports, documents and evidence given by the Inspector General to CPB Board of Directors or members of Congress.
The report released by Mr. Konz on Nov. 15 cites delivery of a "separate investigative report, along with specific evidence indicating possible wrongdoing, to the Board for their disposition." It is highly inappropriate for members of the board, CPB senior staff and the Office of Inspector General to keep these materials secret.
Recent press accounts indicate that the Board possesses extensive evidence of potentially inappropriate communications between the CPB and White House officials. According to statements made by Inspector General Konz to Bloomberg News, former CPB Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson discussed programming and hiring matters at the agency with presidential adviser Karl Rove and other White House officials between November 2003 and May 2005.
The Inspector General's report describes "e-mails between the former Chairman and staff in the Executive Office of the President that, while cryptic in nature … [give] the appearance that the former Chairman was strongly motivated by political considerations in filling the President/CEO position."
We remain deeply concerned about possible interference by the White House in programming and hiring decisions at the CPB -- and whether any further laws may have been violated.
The public's right to know transcends the politically convenient "confidentiality agreements" Ms. Harrison claims prevent release of the documents. The public must be allowed to judge for itself the importance the correspondence between the CPB and top Bush administration officials or any other evidence shared privately with the board.
By withholding information, you are not serving the mission of public broadcasting.
The American people must be told the full story of what transpired at the CPB.
Sincerely,
Josh Silver
Executive Director
Free Press
Jeff Chester
Executive Director
Center for Digital Democracy
Chellie Pingree
President
Common Cause
