Citizen Koch: The movie that the Koch Brothers "forced" PBS to kill and the Michael Moore challenge

[Luminous Animal]

Via twitter:
Michael Moore ‏@MMFlin
C'mon, let's show the power we have. The Kochs & PBS tried to kill this movie. Get it to 70K, I'll put in next $5K! http://mmflint.me/1bku0fC

Donations are at $61,935.00 with 27 days to do.

You can donate here:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1308051297/citizen-koch

Money has long played a starring role in politics, but things really got out of control after the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United, engineered by corporate and far-right interest groups to super-enfrancise the wealthiest and disenfranchise ordinary Americans.

"Citizen Koch" tells that story -- from the political influence wielded by billionaire industrialists and conservative activists David and Charles Koch, and others like them, to the real-life struggles of ordinary Republicans and Democrats as they collide with the big money juggernaut.

We were thrilled last spring when "Citizen Koch" was greenlit for funding by public television. That meant that not only could we finish shooting and editing the film, but it would be headed to free TV broadcast next fall for the largest audience in the U.S. -- PBS, and all of you.

Then everything changed.

Last fall, fearing that our story might displease a particular PBS donor -- David Koch himself -- public television dropped its financial support for "Citizen Koch". Journalist Jane Mayer exposed this self-censorship in the New Yorker magazine.

t turns out that David Koch is a donor to PBS flagship stations WNET and WGBH and on their board of trustees. And without lifting a finger or even taking out his checkbook, Koch was able to influence funding and programming decisions at public television. And our film was effectively censored.

Not only did we lose $150,000 in funding, but millions of viewers lost their chance to see "Citizen Koch" on public television. All because of David Koch's money.

The process that led to "Citizen Koch" being pulled from the airwaves illustrates exactly the point that Lessin and Deal's film makes: Money can not only buy action in our democracy, it can also buy silence.

- Michael Keegan, President, People for the American Way

[elehhhhna]

1. change title to PBS

I do it alla time. have to edit my title, I mean.

[Luminous Animal]

2. Thank you!

[felix_numinous]

3. Bookmarking!

Thank you Luminous Animal

[Luminous Animal]

4. You're welcome!

[11 Bravo]

5. Excellent post! (And thanks for the donation link. I'm heading over there right now!)

[Luminous Animal]

6. We did it! $15,000 over goal and it looks like Mike kept his end of the bargain! (nt)