Petitions Call on APT to not air Controversial Documentary
About a dozen people including religious leaders, Alabama Public Television employees and community members delivered two petitions to the APT headquarters in Birmingham Thursday, calling on the Alabama Educational Television Commission to not air a controversial documentary series and to reinstate two top executives.
It’s the latest action prompted by the unexpected firing of former executive director Allan Pizzato and former chief financial officer Pauline Howland. The commission fired the two executives in June with some commissioners stating they wanted to take the network in a new direction. Critics contend the firing came, in part, because Pizzato and Howland refused to air a historic documentary series produced by David Barton.
Barton is an evangelical minister and conservative activist who runs the Texas-based WallBuilders LLC organization. Detractors say his view of history is not accurate.
“David Barton is not in any remote sense a historian,” said Mark Potok, Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center. “David Barton is simply a propagandist and a propagandist who lies.”
One petition, which originated with the group Faithful America, says Pizzato and Howland were right to object to airing the Barton series. It calls on the commission to rehire the two executives and “keep Religious Right hate” from airing on APT. Organizers say that petition has 14,000 signatures.
A second petition developed by the progressive organization CREDO action calls on APT to not air any Barton programming. Organizers say 100,000 people signed that petition. Between the two documents, they say 3,250 signatures are from Alabama residents.
“It’s important to recognize that there are that many Alabamians who signed it, but also to recognize what a national issue it’s now become,” said Lutheran pastor Darryl Kiehl. “People who trust public television everywhere are upset that this kind of material could intrude into public television. It’s sort of like the proverbial camel’s nose under the tent.”
Alabama Public Television chief operating officer Charles Grantham accepted the petitions and thanked the petitioners for their support. He said they would be delivered to the commission. Grantham said at this point there are no plans to run the David Barton series.
“As long as I have a voice in it, it will not be aired,” Grantham said. “But the commission does have the authority to fire me, demote me, send me home and do whatever they wish to do.”
Grantham added he believes the majority of APT staff do not have confidence in the commission
Earlier this week Grantham sent a letter to Governor Robert Bentley expressing concerns that the controversy could harm APT.
CORRECTION: Updates the number of Alabama petition signers. Faithful America originally stated 3,500 signatures.
AI’s getting better at faking crowds. Here’s why that’s cause for concern
Odd fingers and faces in the crowd of a recent Will Smith concert video led to suspicions of AI. But AI is improving fast, and there are serious implications for how "fake" crowds might be coopted.
Sarah Mullally named first woman Archbishop of Canterbury
Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to be chosen to lead the world's 85 million Anglicans.
What to know about former U.K. leader Tony Blair, tapped by Trump for postwar Gaza role
As Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair succeeded in negotiating peace in Northern Ireland in 1998. Five years later, he joined the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq — sullying his reputation ever since.
A public broadcaster’s path after losing U.S. funds: Youth sports and less local news
South Dakota Public Broadcasting says there's an ironic result to President Trump's successful attack on public media: It will have to rely more on NPR programs.
Even a government shutdown can’t stop the quiz. Can you score 11?
This week's quiz also features bears.
Kiss reality goodbye: AI-generated social media has arrived
With the launch of Sora 2, OpenAI has opened a new chapter in addictive, and some worry dangerous, AI video content.
