Time for Tomlinson to go
One of the things that amazes me most about Bush administration officials is their ability to do something wrong, get caught, and pretend nothing happened. It’s a truly remarkable skill that combines a strong sense of denial, incompetence, and blind loyalty to a rigid ideology.
Take our friend Ken Tomlinson, chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Tomlinson has been so anxious to make PBS more like Fox News that he spent tax dollars to hire an outside consultant to monitor PBS programs for alleged liberalism, without consulting the CPB board of directors. The consultant’s report was a bad joke masquerading as legitimate research.
The entire fiasco sparked an investigation by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s inspector general to determine if Tomlinson’s contract represented abuse. Caught dead to rights, how does Tomlinson respond? By bragging about what a great report he commissioned.
“For all the fun the left has poked at the study, I still contend that the American taxpayers got their money’s worth because we got an understanding of what [Bill Moyers’ ‘Now’] is all about,” Mr. Tomlinson said, adding later that the Democrats’ calls for investigations are an attempt to “criminalize” his work.
Let’s take a moment to consider this “study” that Tomlinson is so proud of.
* It was written by Frederick W. Mann, who does not appear to have any training in research methods, and who could not even be found for several weeks when news organizations tried to reach him. He does not appear to have an office; Mann faxed his findings to Tomlinson from Mary Ann’s Hallmark, a card store in Indianapolis.
* Mann’s report labeled Moyers’ guests as liberals or conservatives, but never bothered to explain his labeling criteria or give any indication of which comments earned a guest a particular characterization.
* Mann labeled conservative Republicans, including Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) and former congressman Bob Barr (R-Ga.), as “liberals” if they expressed views that differed from administration policy.
* The amateurish document contradicted actual studies commissioned by the CPB that relied on professional researchers, all of whom concluded that public broadcasting programming was fair.
Tomlinson, who for some reason is still the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, believes this report was worth our tax dollars and is an informative analysis.
Amazing.
Unfortunately, the folks Tomlinson is pandering to neither know nor care about the characteristics of good scientific research. Or, put it this way, research is only good if it validates their uninformed opinions. It’s not the soundness of the methods, but only the outcome that matters. If the methods are–by some miracle–sound, then that is just gravy.
Yet another reason people should take a research methods course, or at least read Carl Sagan’s Methods of Baloney Detection.
And yet, this is completely unsuprising of this administration. If the research doesn’t fit the dogma, generate your own “research” that is sure to support the conclusions you require.
I have yet to hear of anyone actually speaking to Frederick Mann face-to-face. Some people have said they know him because his name has appeared in some publication or website, but that proves nothing. Personally, I think the guy is a fake, nothing more than a cover name a la Jeff Gannon, and I think finding the face behind the name should be given a lot more effort than it seems to have so far.
Any investigation of Tomlinson should include a demand, backed up by subpoena if necessary, that “Mann” appear in person to explain his methodology and conclusions. If he doesn’t show, a criminal investigation should be initiated against Tomlinson for fraud and misappropriation of public funds. If the rule of law has any meaning left at all, Tomlinson has to be called to account for this regardless of how untouchable he might think himself to be.
Holy cr** - Bob Barr as liberal?!? Talk about living in an alternate reality! That actually made me laugh.
From Sherlock Holmes:
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. - A Scandal in Bohemia
It is a capital mistake to theorize in advance of the facts. - The Adventure of The Second Stain
It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment. - A Study in Scarlet
I’d like to see the GAO investigate this contract, how the mystery Mann was selected and who else was given the opportunity to bid on this “research” project. So many scandals so little time to investigate them all.
A quick litmus test of partisanship in the media is if you can tell who the reporters voted for in the last election and who they’ll vote for in the next. I really have no idea who anyone at CPB votes for, save Tomlinson and his cronies. I agree with CB: it’s time to get them out.
Tomlinson is out as President of CPB in September, but a lifelong Republican and Bush financial supporter is a candidate to replace him.