Six senators and representatives are calling on the inspector general of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to investigate whether liberal bias and censorship prevented a documentary about Islam from being aired by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
In a letter obtained yesterday by Inside the Beltway, Kenneth A. Konz is being asked to determine why the $675,000 taxpayer-funded film, "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center," was not aired in April when it was scheduled to run as part of an eight-film series, "America at a Crossroads," that examined challenges confronting the post-September 11 world.
"Islam vs. Islamists" was rejected by WETA, the Washington PBS station that oversaw the series, and PBS for failing to meet editorial standards.
The lawmakers are suspecting "censorship" of the film, which was produced by former Reagan administration official Frank Gaffney Jr., a columnist for this paper.
