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PBS Newshour runs 2 segments on polar bears that never mention human-caused warming

 November 25, 2008

Judy Woodruff introduced the first segment tonight by very briefly mentioning a “changing climate.” But neither of the two stories on the plight of the polar bear included even a single sentence to let the viewer know that human emissions are almost certainly the primary cause for the loss of Arctic ice that the polar bears rely on for feeding.

That’s doubly pathetic from one of the few TV shows that typically uses its extra coverage time to lay out the full issue in a thoughtful manner. You can listen to the audio here, but I wouldn’t bother.

The media bear much of the blame for our inaction to date.
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This entry was posted by Joe on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 at 9:11 pm and is filed under Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

7 Responses to “PBS Newshour runs 2 segments on polar bears that never mention human-caused warming”

  1. hapa says:
    November 25, 2008 at 9:36 pm

    everybody has their problems.

    In its 25 years on the air, “NewsHour” has had fallow budget periods, but none that equal the current one, Mr. Lehrer acknowledged. The financial squeeze was precipitated last summer when Archer Daniels Midland ended its 14-year sponsorship of the program.…

    On May 1, salaries were frozen at the newscast, and company contributions to 401(k) retirement funds were suspended, cutbacks suggested by the staff. “NewsHour” still has two corporate sponsors — Chevron and the Pacific Life Insurance Company — and it receives support from PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But only part of the Archer money has been replaced, leaving the budget several million dollars short.

    “NewsHour,” along with other PBS mainstays, may have a longer-term problem. Not only are corporations cutting back on all forms of advertising during the current economic slowdown, but public television’s model — soliciting long-term commitments — is also increasingly out of step with the changing needs of corporations, which no longer sponsor public television programs for purely philanthropic reasons.

    look: chevron has a lot of leverage, and a public relations problem.…

  2. paulm says:
    November 26, 2008 at 12:07 am

    Why, why is it that the media are such laggards when it comes to climate change?

  3. mauri pelto says:
    November 26, 2008 at 9:09 am

    We are left with Chevron not a supporter of global warming action and Pacific Life a supporter of global warming action, a perfect balance.

  4. hapa says:
    November 26, 2008 at 10:33 am

    pacific life would walk because the show soft pedaled the need for big fast change? they’re an insurance company, not greenpeace.

  5. Dano says:
    November 26, 2008 at 11:24 am

    We must remember PBS and NPR were taken over by Republican operatives several years ago. Not all of them have left yet.

    And there are threats from the BushCo about future funding if there is anything aired that is against the preznit. Don’t believe me? Look around for the documentary that can’t be shown until 1/21/2009.

    Best,

    D

  6. Bob Wallace says:
    November 26, 2008 at 12:38 pm

    Time for a “Move On” type organization that runs an educational campaign about climate change?

    We shouldn’t count on large media to do the job. They are generally owned by people who have a conservative tilt.

  7. hapa says:
    November 27, 2008 at 1:45 am

    watched tonight, now vestas is a sponsor.