Tough Times at PBS & WQED

The head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting defended his leadership Monday, telling Congress he's seeking political balance in public-affairs programming and is not bent on silencing liberal voices.

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, a Republican, has come under fire in recent months for complaining about "Now with Bill Moyers" - saying the television show's "left-wing bias" was unhealthy and jeopardized support for public broadcasting. Moyers has since left the show.

Meanwhile at WQED in Pittsburgh.... Did WQED break the law when it ran ads asking viewers and listeners to call their congressmen and complain about proposed cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

The Tribune-Review thinks so. An editorial in the newspaper calls on the Justice Department to investigate whether the ads, featuring WQED President and CEO George Miles Jr., violated rules against direct lobbying by public broadcasters and tax-exempt corporations.

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