Re: oh well, next -- Are you or have you ever ......

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

Date: Thu, 2 Feb 1995 19:31:34 -0800 (PST)
From: "Brock N. Meeks" <brock@well.sf.ca.us>
To: David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>


Dave --


Today (Feb. 2) Sen. Pressler sent a letter to Henry Cauthen, Chairman of
the Corp. for Public Broadcasting.  In that letter Pressler says "I have
given careful consideration to the concerns you expressed about
individual privacy.  Accordingly, I do not wish for a listing by name of
NPR staff who have worked for Christian evangelical stations, nor for a
list by name of NPR staff that have worked for Pacifica stations..."


Pressler's orginal request went much further, asking for data on the
gender, age and ethnicity of employees at NPR.  (I'm not making this up.)


Pressler's letter recants all of those requests, including striking the
request for names of political donars.


Pressler's letter implores Cauthen to have "no misunderstanding about my
intentions in seeking information..."


Pressler does say that he's concerned at Cauthen's "apparent
unwillingness" to provide a "full fiscal picture" of PBS.  He says the he
is merely "seeking a careful understanding of the finances" of PBS and of
the "interrelationships among" CPB, Pacifica, National Public Radio...


"At issue is fundamental accountability," the letter says.


I was at the news confernece where Pressler was challenged on his request
for names.  Pressler said it's the "taxpayer's right" to know "where
their dollars are being spent."  He said he intended to print the list of
names in the FEderal Register.


but he's now backed off.


Brock Meeks
CyberWire Dispatch