[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 22]
[Senate]
[Page 30799]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          BROADCASTING BALANCE

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I rise today to reaffirm the 
Corporation for Public Broadcasting's requirement to ensure ``strict 
adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of 
programs of a controversial nature.'' CPB receives roughly $400 million 
from Congress as part of the Labor, Health and Human Services, 
Education Appropriations bill.
  CPB's requirement to see that recipients like the Public Broadcasting 
Service and National Public Radio uphold the objectivity and balance 
standard does not stem from congressional micro-management or partisan 
interference. Rather, it is a matter of complying with the law under 
which CPB dispenses taxpayers' money.
  That law mandates CPB to see to both ``maximum freedom of the public 
telecommunications entities'' and their ``strict adherence to 
objectivity and balance.'' These mandates are not in conflict. Instead, 
they complement each other, and to maintain Americans' confidence in 
public broadcasting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting must see 
that both mandates are fulfilled. Congress and the taxpayers expect 
nothing less.

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