New at Reason

Julian Sanchez | January 24, 2006

Cathy Young investigates the Public Broadcasting Service's investigation into anti-male bias in a documentary on child abuse.

Comments

|1.24.06 @ 9:54AM|#

Oddly enough, I have seen Frontline episodes where fathers who had been accused and convicted of child abuse were given a fair hearing. I get the impression that there may be several different cliques operating in the PBS world.

|1.24.06 @ 10:26AM|#

MK,

Frontline has made some great documentaries on the war in Iraq. One of the few places in American media where you can see an unvarnished look at what soldiers and marines are doing over there. It is a favorite indoor outdoor sport of conservatives to kick around PBS. As much as I enjoy that sport, PBS will occasionally do some really good work. Then they do things like the piece described by Young and its game on again. Its too bad they can't drain the swamp of the wingnut liberals because when PBS does do good work it is generally of a much higher quality than about any other media outlet.

|1.24.06 @ 10:35AM|#

well, pbs gets it's stuff from a lot of different people, though frontline tends to be more or less quality stuff. (regardless of whether you agree with it).

the stuff that's harder to watch is more of the mid-90s material, especially when they trot out the "FDR was the son of god" stuff.

|1.24.06 @ 10:42AM|#

I have seen Frontline episodes where fathers who had been accused and convicted of child abuse were given a fair hearing.

"We're gonna hang ya - after a fair trial, of course."
Like the Cops TV shows, it's completely different when they know they're on tape.

Keeping in mind that women (mothers) commit child abuse more often than do men (fathers), did Frontline show any "fair hearings" for mothers?

|1.24.06 @ 10:57AM|#

the stuff that's harder to watch is more of the mid-90s material, especially when they trot out the "FDR was the son of god" stuff


Yeah, PBS can be pretty unbearable when they trot out Arther Schlesenger and Doris Kerns Godwin.

|1.24.06 @ 10:59AM|#

dhex,

At least that was better than the 80s/early 90s, when they were the 24 hour "Did I ever tell you kids about the sixties?" channel.

|1.24.06 @ 11:09AM|#

odd you bring that up...whenever i hear "the sixties" i immediately see a stock pbs montage set to all along the waterfront (hendrix version)...lessee, i'm right up to the part where the kids are playing guitar, now someone's wading through a rice paddie with a rifle slung over their shoulders...oh, look, a peace sign! and i think that's janis joplin over there, right next to lbj and the moon landing.

thanks PBS!

|1.24.06 @ 11:19AM|#

Watchtower, dhex. All Along the Watchtower.

There weren't any lines about union reps and contendahs in that song. ;-P

|1.24.06 @ 11:34AM|#

Ironically enough, I still have my local PBS affiliate to thank for introducing me to shows like Dr. Who, The Prisoner, Blake's 7, and Monty Python's Flying Circus back in the late 70's/early 80's.

|1.24.06 @ 1:36PM|#

here is the episode I was referring to, if you are interested. I remembered seeing the trial they referred to on the tv news.

|1.24.06 @ 3:13PM|#

here is the episode I was referring to, if you are interested.

Ah, yes, Janet "Burn the Children Alive to Save Them" Reno strikes again; she almost, but not quite, missed her calling as a "Witch Finder."

Many witch hunts, both ancient (Salem) and modern (McMartin), started out with kids - see
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/ASAL_CH.HTM for example.