Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad
Encyclopedia
Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center was a documentary
produced for PBS's series America at a Crossroads
. It came to prominence when producer Martyn Burke
, dissatisfied with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
's refusal to air the documentary unless he made certain changes, accused the organization of not wanting to air it for political reasons.
Burke objected to pressure from one of PBS's executives who argued that the moderates portrayed in the film should not be considered true Muslims.
PBS argued, in response, that there was not enough room to air this particular documentary as part of the series, citing there were only 11 hours of airtime with 21 approved film projects. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
replied that the 'film simply needs work but stands a chance to be aired eventually as a "stand-alone" program in the future.' CPB representative Michael Leavy said the film violated PBS standards and the grant agreement, but did not claim in what way the film fell short of the standards, citing CPB is only responsible for funding programs, not their content. PBS executives reportedly sent notes to the producers, saying the film would 'demonize Islam.' On April 25, 2007, Islam vs. Islamists was reviewed by Members of Congress, sponsored by Joe Lieberman, James Inhofe, and Reps. Trent Franks, Brad Sherman. A day later, Franks drafted a letter urging PBS to air the documentary removed by PBS.
The episode that was dropped from the initial PBS series but was ultimately picked up by Fox News Channel
, who promoted it as Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad. The unedited documentary, along with interviews with the producers, was aired on July 7, 2007. Later, it was distributed by the Portland PBS affiliate (Oregon Public Broadcasting) and aired on most PBS stations across the country.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
produced for PBS's series America at a Crossroads
America at a Crossroads
America at a Crossroads is a documentary miniseries concerning the issues facing the United States of America as related to the War on Terrorism. It aired originally on PBS television....
. It came to prominence when producer Martyn Burke
Martyn Burke
Martyn Burke is a journalist, novelist, screenwriter and director from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His career got started when he began writing and directing documentaries for CBC Television...
, dissatisfied with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
's refusal to air the documentary unless he made certain changes, accused the organization of not wanting to air it for political reasons.
Burke objected to pressure from one of PBS's executives who argued that the moderates portrayed in the film should not be considered true Muslims.
PBS argued, in response, that there was not enough room to air this particular documentary as part of the series, citing there were only 11 hours of airtime with 21 approved film projects. Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress, funded by the United States’ federal government to promote public broadcasting...
replied that the 'film simply needs work but stands a chance to be aired eventually as a "stand-alone" program in the future.' CPB representative Michael Leavy said the film violated PBS standards and the grant agreement, but did not claim in what way the film fell short of the standards, citing CPB is only responsible for funding programs, not their content. PBS executives reportedly sent notes to the producers, saying the film would 'demonize Islam.' On April 25, 2007, Islam vs. Islamists was reviewed by Members of Congress, sponsored by Joe Lieberman, James Inhofe, and Reps. Trent Franks, Brad Sherman. A day later, Franks drafted a letter urging PBS to air the documentary removed by PBS.
The episode that was dropped from the initial PBS series but was ultimately picked up by Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, who promoted it as Banned by PBS: Muslims Against Jihad. The unedited documentary, along with interviews with the producers, was aired on July 7, 2007. Later, it was distributed by the Portland PBS affiliate (Oregon Public Broadcasting) and aired on most PBS stations across the country.
See also
- America at a CrossroadsAmerica at a CrossroadsAmerica at a Crossroads is a documentary miniseries concerning the issues facing the United States of America as related to the War on Terrorism. It aired originally on PBS television....
, the series for which it was originally produced, which included several other segments about Islam - God's WarriorsGod's WarriorsCNN Presents: God's Warriors is a three-part CNN Presents documentary produced by Christiane Amanpour in which she examines the rise of religious fundamentalism as a political force in the world. The documentary was filmed in the United States, Europe and Middle East...
, a three-part miniseries by CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
examining extremism in ChristianityChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Islam