In a thoughtful article on the PBS Web site, network ombudsman Michael Getler says PBS and its show, “To the Contrary,” made a mistake — and may have violated the network’s own ethics guidelines — by failing to tell viewers that an occasional commentator to the show was also a Bush administration official.
“It seems to me that it is a big mistake for the program and PBS â no matter what the Labor Department says â not to make her other full-time association clear to viewers in some fashion,” Getler wrote. (Earlier, we reported that show host Bonnie Erbe said the government told her Czarnecki could not be identified as an official.) “If they donât want to change the on-screen captions, then Erbe ought to at least describe the association verbally to viewers, and state that [Czarnecki] is not speaking for the department. Viewers can understand that.
“If thatâs not good enough for the Labor Department, the program should have dropped her. PBSâs credibility is more important than any one guest, and there are lots of smart, female conservative commentators around.”
Getler also noted:
It may also be a violation of PBS editorial guidelines which state, within the section dealing with âFairness,â that: âTo avoid misleading the public, producers also should adhere to the principles of transparency and honesty by providing appropriate labels, disclaimers, updates, or other information so that the public plainly understands what it is seeing.â