Double Standard

PBS board members have decided, after nearly 25 years, to enforce a law that went down on the books in 1985 to eliminate any programming that could be considered partisan or sectarian. This includes religious programming, such as the morning "Mass for Shut-Ins," which is popular among elderly Catholics who would otherwise miss out on such services. According to the decision, the station can keep these shows, however, no new religious programming will be allowed.

There is no federal law barring religious programming on public television, but PBS is worried about their image: They don't want to be seen as endorsing these programs. I don't watch much PBS, so I'm not sure about how they present their programming, but it would seem simple enough for them to make a disclaimer before the shows in question like other networks do before airing church services (or even infomercials, for that matter)-- "The following program in no way represents the views or opinions of so-and-so-station or it's subsidiaries, parent company, friends, siblings, uncles, or cousins..."

Things get a little stickier when you consider that PBS receives some of its funding from taxpayers. Critics feel that allowing the programming to continue at all amounts to taxpayer funded evangelism. But let's think for a minute about some other organizations who receive taxpayer money. Let's take, for example, Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood offers abortion services. It also receives federal funding. So, taxpayers-- many of whom oppose and even abhor the practice of abortion-- are indirectly funding abortions in the same way that the irreligious or antireligious are indirectly funding religious programming on PBS.

My point is this: PBS was formed to provide localized programming for communities across the nation. There are many communities across the nation who both benefit from, and appreciate religious programming. PBS should continue to air religious programming, and continue to proudly add new religious programming to their line-up, as long as Planned Parenthood is still performing abortions in the name of women's rights.