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Harrison’s Candidacy at CPB Angers PBS

Jun 17, 2005  •  Post A Comment

The controversial candidacy of Patricia de Stacy Harrison for the presidency of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was publicly panned by PBS late Friday.

Ms. Harrison is a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee who is said to enjoy the support of CPB board Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson for the top CPB executive post–and a CPB announcement on its new president is expected as early as Monday.

But in a June 17 letter to Mr. Tomlinson, Mary Bitterman, PBS board chair, has joined ranks with watchdog groups challenging Ms. Harrison’s appointment. “The appointment of a CPB president with a history of national political party leadership, no matter how highly qualified or respected that individual is, would compromise that [public broadcasting’s] independence both in perception and in reality,” Ms. Bitterman said. “It might also be construed as showing contempt for the nonpartisanship in public broadcasting desired by the American people.”