RESOLUTION: Affirmation of the principle of editorial independence of public broadcasters, which has its roots in the Constitution and in the Public Broadcasting Act
WHEREAS, editorial independence is deeply rooted in the American values of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, which are protected by the First Amendment to the Constitution;
WHEREAS, the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 reinforces these values by requiring that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting protect public broadcasting entities from “interference with, or control of, program content or other activities” and prohibits Federal government “…direction, supervision, or control over the content or distribution of public telecommunications programs and services…”;
WHEREAS, Congress sets public broadcasting’s appropriations two years in advance in order to further insulate public broadcasting from improper government interference;
WHEREAS, public television and radio, and our related services and community outreach, are locally controlled, and public stations have always welcomed community engagement around their programming and services, including those targeted to underserved audiences;
WHEREAS, public broadcasting is considered by the American public as the most trusted form of media, and any attempt, or appearance of such, by funders or special interest groups to influence public broadcasting content or programming, undermines the public trust and the core value of public broadcasting;
RESOLVED, therefore, that the Board of Trustees of WXXI Public Broadcasting Council, this 25th day of June, 2007, affirms the necessity of protecting public broadcasters from improper interference in content or programming, so that public broadcasters are assured editorial independence and the ability to fulfill their mission to our community.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees
June 25, 2007