A couple of weeks ago, I observed that a PBS Frontline website had substituted biographies and official websites of conservatives with fake biographies and dossiers published by a fringe, hard-left group. When the editors pushed back that they did not see any inaccuracies, I documented several. You would think that PBS would realize that these political games soil its reputation but, alas, not so.
Now, PBS Frontline sinks even deeper. In an effort to discredit a group assembled by Freedom House and the Progressive Policy Institute which seeks to hold Iran more accountable on human rights, the program commissioned a hit piece by Robert Dreyfuss. What the editors do not mention, however, is that Dreyfuss was a longtime correspondent for Lyndon LaRouche’s flagship magazine, Executive Intelligence Review. Dreyfuss dedicates his first book—now free online as a .pdf—to his colleagues at LaRouche’s organization:
I wish to acknowledge the exciting and rewarding collaboration of my friends and colleagues at the Executive Intelligence Review. As the Middle East intelligence director of the EIR, it has been my privilege to enjoy the assistance of experienced analysts. . . .
Since Dreyfuss penned Hostage to Khomeini, neither his writing nor his methods have changed. A couple years, he fabricated a conversation with U.S. General, claiming that he had cornered him in the hallway after a speech.
It is far past time for the editors at PBS Frontline to consider their editorial integrity, but if they dig in their heels and prefer to play politics, it may be time for those who provide PBS with funds to start asking hard questions.
