| NJTV’s narrative of its April 26 news broadcasts describes a segment: “Professors protest at New Jersey’s universities, ” but the voices of the faculty, staff and students are excluded from the actual broadcast. Instead there is a five-minute interview with the William Paterson University President, whose representatives are making unreasonable demands of the education workers at the bargaining table. Does NJTV news have a conflict of interestbecause they are housed at Montclair State University by University management? NJTV replaced the public NJN news last year, profiting from taxpayer Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. Tell NJTV, which receives public funding, is housed on public college and university campuses and requests donations, to Tell Both Sides of the Story |
Tell Both Sides of the Story
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The students, faculty, librarians and staff are standing up for higher education, demanding appropriate insight, input and accountability with higher education funding and fair treatment for workers. NJTV’s showed biased coverage of the contract dispute despite the fact that they had footage from a rally convened at William Paterson University by the American Federation of Teachers local. The rally was one of eight held throughout the state attended by thousands of students and workers calling for a fair contract and support for higher education. The reporter and crew interviewed students about student debt, taped speeches and a march across campus. The reporter and cameraman even conducted an interview with Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, who addressed the WPU rally and called for fairness and for the state to increase support for higher education. But none of this footage was included in the report, which was simply a vehicle for the President.
Compare that with coverage of the campus actions at profiled at https://aftnj.org/topics/category/news/higher-education/college-council-contract/from various news sources. NJTV producers were offered interviews with the lead negotiators for the contract, but refused to offer any balance or the opportunity for students or workers to tell their side of the dispute.
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NJTV utilizes public resources. Demand public accountability:
- NJTV operates on a budget of roughly $8 million annually. Its new parent WNET will take over NJN’s federal subsidy from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of about $2.2 million, plus about $2 million in income from renting space on its broadcast tower. New York Times, June 6, 2011.
- NJTV pays Montclair $400,000 a year for studio space that the state university spent more than $1 million upgrading in recent years. Star Ledger, Nov. 17, 2011.
- NJTV has contracts with several state schools to use more campus space and students in their broadcasts. Star Ledger, Dec. 18, 2011.