If John Kerry had a rapid response team like
Mary Beth Harrell, he'd be president now. Finding out at 7:30 PM last night that the PBS-produced program NOW's segment
"Sway the Course" had been censored by local PBS affiliate
KNCT, Harrell pulled together a news conference at 1 PM Saturday generating tremendous local coverage on very short notice.
Here's a report from Mary Beth herself:
Ya gotta love it. Didn't think we could do it but We pulled off the press conference today - 4 local newspapers and 2 local TV stations showed up.
It was the lead story on KXXV- TV (Ch. 25 in Waco) & K[W]TX-TV (Ch. 10 - Waco) on tonight's 6 pm news [no links available]. Don't know if it will repeat at 10 - will watch for it.
It will be in tomorrow's Killeen and Temple newspapers, and the next issue of the [Copperas] Cove newspapers- they don't publish everyday.
Check this one out - you gotta love the sub-headline: [link to Austin American-Statesman]
MATT [Angle]- thanks for providing Gerry Hefert - he's wonderful.
Spoke to Jim Anderson a little while ago [Chancellor of Central Texas College, which runs KNCT] - we may have movement on this, he's going to call me tomorrow with an answer about airing the program on Sunday and Monday.
The PBS program has generated close to $3,000 in contributions from Alaska, Hawaii. Florida and Philadelphia, and lots of very positive email.
The Statesman article catches Chancellor Anderson making a factual mistatement. As reported in my diary last night, at 10:30 PM Friday, KNCT's own website still listed the program as having been scheduled to air at 7:30 PM that evening. Yet the Statesman reports:
"We didn't pull anything; it was never scheduled," Anderson said. "I'm not sure we've ever been aware the program was available. I learned of it late Friday morning."
What's the truth? A responsible board of directors would self-investigate. Perhaps PBS will look into the matter, as well. If the censorship was designed to help Harrell's opponent, however, it surely backfired thanks to Harrell's rapid response in less than a day.