PBS, George Shultz and funny funding

Many PBS stations around the country will begin airing a three-part, three-hour documentary tonight (7/12/10) about Reagan-era Secretary of State George Shultz. According to the New York Times (7/12/10), the unusually lengthy, completely uncritical tribute is partially sponsored by corporations linked to Shultz's corporate career. The special, Turmoil and Triumph, was funded by the Stephen Bechtel Fund and Charles Schwab. Shultz was a board member at both companies, and was president of the Bechtel Corporation from 1975 to 1982. According to reviews, the documentary takes an overwhelmingly positive, even gushing stance. The Times' Alessandra Stanley points out, "There is no mention that Mr. Shultz was a cheerleader for the 2003 invasion of Iraq while still on the board of Bechtel, a construction and engineering firm that won huge contracts that were later criticized by the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction." As the San Francisco Chronicle put it (7/10/10), "Only once in Turmoil's three hours will you hear someone disagree with Shultz"--not about his own performance, but about whether Reagan knew about the Iran/Contra arms deals. Conservative Wall Street Journal columnist Dorothy Rabinowitz (7/9/10) noted that the speakers in the film are "an exceptionally enthusiastic lot even by the prevailing standards for testimonials of this sort." The political slant of the film is not a surprise. The company that produced it, Free to Choose Media, has had a hand in several conservative-oriented programs that have aired on public television, including 1980's Free to Choose, a special PBS series celebrating conservative economist Milton Friedman. As Greg Mitchell noted in the Nation (7/12/10), Free to Choose Media "was founded with money from the conservative Bradley Foundation and is part of the Palmer R. Chitester Fund."