Basin PBS undermines its own mission with biased bond forum
"Trust is the foundation of Basin PBS." You can find that statement under the "values" section of the Basin PBS website. However, a recent event has me wondering if their actions align with this foundational principle.
Thursday evening, Basin PBS hosted a town hall that promised to be informative only on what is in MISD's proposed $1.4 billion bond. Unfortunately, the event became a one-sided narrative from three bond supporters, an MISD associate superintendent and a former MISD teacher – all advocating for the bond's passage.
It is disheartening that Basin PBS allowed such a one-sided dialogue, especially given they receive public funds. When an entity accepts public funding, it bears responsibility for trustworthiness and impartiality.
The PBS national editorial standards emphasize the importance of sharing "diverse perspectives" that align with the goals of a democratic society. Transparency is paramount in democratic societies. Basin PBS should, by virtue of its public funding, dedicate itself to presenting balanced viewpoints. Instead, their town hall showcased a biased stance, undermining the transparency and trust they should uphold.
To borrow a phrase from one of the town hall panelists, Basin PBS can "walk and chew gum" by providing citizens with an informative town hall that encourages the free exchange of ideas and fosters well-informed citizens.
An additional concern arises from the sponsors of the town hall, Diamondback Energy, Pioneer Natural Resources and ProPetro, all of which are financial supporters of Energize Midland Schools, a pro-bond political action committee.
The influence of these financial backers further clouds the impartiality of the event. In light of this, the town hall would have been more appropriate on one of the several privately funded local television broadcast networks. PBS editorial standards states, "Content distributed by PBS must be free of undue influence from third-party funders…"
I urge the Basin PBS board to stand by their documented values and rectify this situation for Midland voters. By allowing for a complete exchange of ideas without external influence, Basin PBS can reestablish trust, integrity and transparency, upholding the principles essential to its mission and the values it claims to hold dear.