Two managers of Alabama Public Television have been summarily fired, apparently because they disagreed with the commission that oversees APT about airing a series of videos from David Barton that included all his usual fake history. The Current Public Media blog reports:
Two top managers at Alabama Public Television were fired from their jobs June 12 with no explanation of the cause for the immediate dismissals.
The Alabama Educational Television Commission came out of an executive session Tuesday afternoon and ordered veteran pubcaster Allan Pizzato and his deputy Pauline Howland to clean out their desks and leave APT’s headquarters in Birmingham…
Howland, deputy director and chief financial officer, described the firings in an interview with Current and said she was “baffled” by the dismissals. But she also recalled how Pizzato had asked staff in April for advice about a series of videos that AETC commissioners wanted APT to air.
The videos featured David Barton, an evangelical minister and conservative activist whose publications and media appearances promote his theories about the religious intentions of America’s founders. He frequently appears on political commentary programs hosted by conservative Glenn Beck.
The American Heritage Series, a 10-part DVD series offered by Barton’s Texas-based organization WallBuilders LLC, “presents America’s forgotten history and heroes, emphasizing the moral, religious and constitutional foundation on which America was built.” Christian broadcast networks Cornerstone Television and Trinity Broadcasting Networks air the series, according to the website…
Pizzato and his staff had “grave concerns” that the videos were inappropriate for public broadcasting due to their religious nature, Howland said.
Pizzato declined to discuss the videos, or how he responded to the commission’s request that APT schedule them for broadcast.
The commissioners had planned to discuss broadcast of Barton’s series at the end of their meeting, but dropped the agenda item after firing both directors, Howland said.
This is what happens when you let elected board members determine such things, especially in Alabama.
18 comments
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Sastra
June 18, 2012 at 1:14 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Howland is guilty of poor phrasing here. Public broadcasting often airs shows on religion. It wasn’t the “religious nature” of the videos; it was the “pseudoscientific” nature of the history.
Zeno
June 18, 2012 at 1:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
One would think “full of lies” would be sufficient grounds for declining to air the series.
wscott
June 18, 2012 at 1:25 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@ Sastra & Zeno: you beat me to it.
Tualha
June 18, 2012 at 1:28 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I love the smell of huge wrongful termination lawsuits with plenty of negative publicity in the morning.
Stevarious
June 18, 2012 at 1:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Just following the thousand year Christian tradition of firing anyone who doesn’t agree.
Of course, they used to use actual fire… but some traditions just needed to be updated to go with the times.
d cwilson
June 18, 2012 at 1:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@Tualha:
No such thing as negative publicity. These board members are going to clean up on the Xian persecution circuit.
timberwoof
June 18, 2012 at 1:53 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
It might have been interesting to show the video … surrounded by discussion by a panel of historians and freethinkers (and maybe a theologist or two to satisfy the Board).
Simply refusing to show the video looks like censorship; showing it and discussing its factual claims is responsible journalism. Heck, other PBS stations around the country might want to show that discussion as well; that sort of thing could make some money for the Alabama network.
On the other paw, if Cornerstone Television and Trinity Broadcasting Networks already air the series, why do PBS stations need to (other than to funnel subscriber and sponsor money into the producers’ pockets)?
Jeremy Shaffer
June 18, 2012 at 1:56 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
As a resident of Alabama I know I need to send a letter or an e-mail or something but I’m not even sure where to begin on addressing this. As others have pointed out refusing to air it because it is religious in nature is absurd. That Barton’s work is full of inaccuracies, misrepresentations and out- right fabrications would not just be a valid reason to not air the videos it would also be the only reason anyone should need. Furthermore, airing Barton’s videos goes against the mission, vision and values APT lists on their website.
http://aptv.org/Inside/mission.asp
Even if the execs in question remain fired over this the videos should remain unaired on APT.
Randomfactor
June 18, 2012 at 2:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
These board members are going to clean up on the Xian persecution circuit.
There’s a circuit for folks who’ve been persecuted by the Christians? Where do I sign up?
Randomfactor
June 18, 2012 at 2:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sorry, derp, read the original comment ackwardsbay.
Dr X
June 18, 2012 at 2:12 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@Timberwoof:
That’s what I was thinking. Do a stop and fisk presentation of the videos, every step of the way, presenting evidence that Barton is a fraud. Perhaps they could do a little reporting on the money he makes deceiving Christians.
Tualha
June 18, 2012 at 2:23 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
@d cwilson:
True, but there’s a good chance the public will get to hear some refutations of Barton’s lies.
As for the “circuit”, if only it were a real circuit, of the sort one could plug several thousands of volts into…
Ace of Sevens
June 18, 2012 at 2:46 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
If it was their job to screen content for value and appropriateness rather than just air whatever was handed to them, this was an appropriate decision.
d cwilson
June 18, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Somehow, I suspect they’d have been fired for doing that as well.
billydee
June 18, 2012 at 5:17 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
#7: I misread “theologian” as “therapist.” I reread the sentence and I thought that a therapist might also be helpful.
fastlane
June 22, 2012 at 4:57 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They should air them, immediately followed by Chris Rodda’s videos that correct them.
falcon2
June 22, 2012 at 11:48 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
While many PBS stations do in fact air religious content,I think there is a difference with Alabama. APTV license is owned and operated by the state. The state’s charter does not allow religious programming. From what I have read elsewhere, airing the programs could have resulted in revokation of the station’s license. This was not a case of censorship, it was a case of protecting the station’s viability. I have also read that they realized a grave error in firing the CFO only a few weeks before the budget was due and requested her to return– have not read if she did or not.
cuckrooo
June 29, 2012 at 8:51 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
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