CPB Board Must Do Much More than Drop Kenneth Tomlinson, Says Common Cause

In a terse statement late this afternoon, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced the resignation of former Chairman and board member Kenneth Tomlinson.

Common Cause President Chellie Pingree released the following statement:

It appears that the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has reluctantly asked for the resignation of former CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson. But while the Board may have dropped Tomlinson, it’s clear they have not dropped his ideas. It is unfortunate that the public can only guess at the Inspector General’s conclusions, since his report remains under wraps. Even more distressing is the tone of the Board’s statement, which fails to reflect any regret that Tomlinson’s methods were unacceptable and unethical. The CPB needs to do much more than drop one board member. It needs to shift its direction away from partisanship and active discouragement of fact-based journalism and to find its true mission: to protect public broadcasting from political interference.