The PBS show “Nova” recently did a special on drones. What they did not say is that the special was partially paid for by a company that makes the Drones. FAIR put out an action alert claiming a conflict of interest, and a lack of disclosure. PBS Ombudsman, Michael Getler, agreed noting that he:

saw no mention of Lockheed when I watched the program online or when I looked at the Nova website. And there was never any mention of Lockheed in the body of the program, even though that huge defense company is heavily involved in drone development, which I didn’t know and I’m sure vast numbers of online viewers–unless they are in the Air Force or CIA–also probably did not know.

Anyone who watches PBS should never assume shows are still made in the public interest, nor that they are commercial free just because they are on public television. These days there is no need to take advertising breaks because these days, with product placement in almost every show, it’s all one big commercial.

http://fair.org/take-action/activism-updates/pbs-ombud-nova-disagree-on-drone-disclosure/