Re: [NewPacifica] Re: Pacifica article in The Nation

I'm not sure I agree. The Nation has not been good, mainly owing to the writing of Marc Cooper and the large piece by John Dinges (who *admitted* recently that NPR is leftwing territory.) McChesney's stuff, OTOH, was pretty good.

This may be better than Cooper or Dinges, but, among other maddening things, it does some serious revision of Cooper/Shubb history. I don't think we can let that happen.

Susan Douglas claims, for instance, that these two appalling autocrats who served the corrupt old regime faithfully, no matter what they may have said publicly, actually "hated" the PNB!

Who knew!?

Serioulsy, Schubb/Cooper may not have been overly fond of the PNB, but they both rendered valuable service to their superiors on the board in exchange for their seat at the table.

Early on Schubb once delivered a passionate defense of Pat Scott in my presence. It included lying to my face, insisting that Pacifica (which he referred to as "we") hadn't hired a union busting firm. When I laughed out loud, Mark got so pissed he pounded the table with his fist so hard that beer on top of the table nearly jumped off. Several of us were in a bar during the NYC Media/Democracy conference (1996?).

When Schubb was firing, banning and censoring shows, he wasn't doing it for his health. Likewise for Marc Cooper when he offered public defenses of Schubb's actions. These actions were taken in part because these two were invited into Pacifica's inner circle. Virtually all the firing, banning and censoring was over journalists doing stories about strife at Pacifica-- stories that were making the mainstream news. (That includes Schubb's censoring of CounterSpin, DN! and PNN under Coughlin.)

When Dan Coughlin was fired as PNN news director it was Cooper who publicly "called the dog rabid" before it was shot; Coughlin was fired following Cooper's letter denouncing him for running a short item about the Pacifica affiliates strike.

Anyway, Cooper and Scuhubb may be (largely) gone from the network...presently. But if these two martinets are able to sell the bullshit that they too opposed the old regime, they just had a little different take on things, then we may see them back once time passes and memories fade.

If anyone else recalles discreet episodes that contradict the Douglas' notion that Schubb/Cooper _hated_ the old board, please post them here or send them to me.

-sr

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