Editing WNET (section)

== Criticism and controversy ==
===Misuse of federal grants===
In 2010, the office of the [[United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York]], filed a lawsuit asserting that the WNET subsidiary, the Educational Broadcasting Corporation, misused grant money worth $13&nbsp;million, donated by the [[National Science Foundation]], the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]] and the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] between September 2001 and January 2008.<ref name=WnetGrantLawsuit>{{cite news|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=Wnet Unit Gives Up Grants To Settle Lawsuit|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/arts/television/17arts-WNETUNITGIVE_BRF.html|access-date=July 14, 2017|work=The New York Times|issue=New York Edition, page C2|date=June 17, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201082106/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/arts/television/17arts-WNETUNITGIVE_BRF.html|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNET.orgLawsuit>{{cite web|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=Unit of WNET.org Gives Up Grant Money to Settle Lawsuit|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/after-misuse-of-grant-money-unit-of-wnet-org-to-make-amends/|website=ArtsBeat: The New York Times|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201044016/https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/after-misuse-of-grant-money-unit-of-wnet-org-to-make-amends/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=AccountingWNET>{{cite web|title=Accounting problems cost WNET $1 for every $7 in federal grants|url=https://current.org/2010/06/accounting-problems-cost-wnet-1-for-every-7-in-federal-grants/|website=Current.org|date=June 21, 2010 |publisher=Current LLC|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031313/https://current.org/2010/06/accounting-problems-cost-wnet-1-for-every-7-in-federal-grants/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Sloppiness,' not wrongdoing, led to probe, says WNET chair|url=https://current.org/2009/09/sloppiness-not-wrongdoing-led-to-probe-says-wnet-chair/|website=Current|date=September 21, 2009 |publisher=American University School of Communication|access-date=July 14, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081005/https://current.org/2009/09/sloppiness-not-wrongdoing-led-to-probe-says-wnet-chair/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The suit asserted that WNET had used grant money that was given for the production of programs including ''[[American Masters]]'', ''[[Great Performances]]'' and ''[[Cyberchase]]'' for other purposes.<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" /><ref name="AccountingWNET" /> WNET settled the lawsuit in June 2010 by paying back the United States government $950,000,<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" /> pledging to instate a program to ensure they honored all future federal grant requirements<ref name="WnetGrantLawsuit" /> and agreeing to not receive $1,015,046 in [[federal grant]] money that was about to be awarded,<ref name="AccountingWNET" /> WNET Vice President and General Counsel, Robert Feinberg, said to ''[[The New York Times]]'': "This is not a scenario we want to repeat and we have no intention of repeating it."<ref name="WNET.orgLawsuit" />

===Board member influence on programming===
In November 2012, WNET was scheduled to air [[Alex Gibney]]'s film ''[[Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream]]'' produced by [[Independent Lens]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Gibney|first1=Alex|title=Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream|url=https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/videos/park-avenue-money-power-the-american-dream-2/|website=Independent Lens|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720203933/http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/videos/park-avenue-money-power-the-american-dream-2/|archive-date=July 20, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The film compared the [[Economic inequality|wealth gap]] between the New York residents of [[Park Avenue]] in the [[Bronx]] and the wealthy residents of an exclusive [[Manhattan]] apartment block at [[740 Park Avenue]], including [[David Koch]], a billionaire businessman and political activist.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fuchs|first1=Cynthia|title=Park Avenue Money, Power and the American Dream|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/165397-park-avenue-money-power-and-the-american-dream/|website=PopMatters|date=November 13, 2012|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719044745/http://www.popmatters.com/review/165397-park-avenue-money-power-and-the-american-dream/|archive-date=July 19, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> At the time Koch was a board member of WNET and was planning on making "a seven-figure donation—maybe more" to WNET.<ref name= PublicTVDavidKoch>{{cite magazine|last1=Mayer|first1=Jane|title=A Word from Our Sponsor: Public television's attempts to placate David Koch.|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/a-word-from-our-sponsor|magazine=The New Yorker|date=May 20, 2013|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716181134/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/05/27/a-word-from-our-sponsor|archive-date=July 16, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A furor erupted<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bloomfield|first1=Aubrey|title=Citizen Koch: PBS Kills Koch Brothers-Critical Documentary For Fear Of Offending Them|url=https://mic.com/articles/43793/citizen-koch-pbs-kills-koch-brothers-critical-documentary-for-fear-of-offending-them#.u9SU4qVkc|website=MIC|date=May 22, 2013 |publisher=MIC Network, Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424111603/http://mic.com/articles/43793/citizen-koch-pbs-kills-koch-brothers-critical-documentary-for-fear-of-offending-them#.u9SU4qVkc|archive-date=April 24, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Weigel|first1=David|title=The Best Flacking the Kochs Can Buy?|url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/05/20/the_best_flacking_the_kochs_can_buy.html|website=Slate|date=May 20, 2013|publisher=Weigel|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807030132/http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/05/20/the_best_flacking_the_kochs_can_buy.html|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNETPushDocs>{{cite web|last1=Rainey|first1=James|title=Filmmakers Fight WNET Plan to Push Aside Documentaries|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/filmmakers-fight-wnet-plan-to-push-aside-documentaries-exclusive-1201424227/|website=Variety (US Edition)|date=February 6, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629110204/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/filmmakers-fight-wnet-plan-to-push-aside-documentaries-exclusive-1201424227/|archive-date=June 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> when ''The New Yorker'' revealed in May 2013 that to appease Koch, the president of WNET, [[Neal Shapiro]], called Koch offering him the opportunity to screen Gibney's film before broadcast and rebut it after it aired with a written statement. Shapiro said to ''The New Yorker'' that he "just called David Koch. He's on our board. He's the biggest main character. No one else, just David Koch. Because he's a trustee. It's a courtesy. I can't remember doing anything like this [before]".<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> WNET replaced the film's introduction by [[Stanley Tucci]] with a new introduction calling the film "controversial" and "provocative". Immediately after the broadcast, they aired a statement from [[Koch Industries]] criticizing the film as "disappointing and divisive", although a Koch spokesperson said David Koch had only watched the trailer. WNET followed the statement with an on-air round-table discussion where the moderator repeatedly mentioned that Koch's philanthropic contributions totaled a billion dollars.<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> Gibney was not invited to appear at the round-table and was quoted as saying, "Why is WNET offering Mr. Koch special favors? And why did the station allow Koch to offer a critique of a film he hadn't even seen? Money. Money talks. They tried to undercut the credibility of the film, and I had no opportunity to defend it."<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /> Koch did not make the large donation to WNET and resigned from their board on May 16, 2013.<ref name="PublicTVDavidKoch" /><ref>{{cite web|last1=Sefton|first1=dru|title=Was resignation of billionaire Koch from WNET Board related to controversial doc?|url=https://current.org/2013/05/was-resignation-of-billionaire-koch-from-wnet-board-related-to-controversial-doc/|website=Current.org|date=May 20, 2013 |publisher=American University School of Communication|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807022228/https://current.org/2013/05/was-resignation-of-billionaire-koch-from-wnet-board-related-to-controversial-doc/|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Ethical issues with funding===
In September 2013, WNET launched a series called ''The Pension Peril'', examining the economic sustainability of public [[pensions]] and promoting cuts to their funding.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sirota|first1=David|title=In new letter, PBS promises to continue taking anti-pension billionaire's money and echoing his message|url=https://pando.com/2014/02/14/in-new-letter-pbs-promises-to-continue-taking-anti-pension-billionaires-money-and-echoing-his-message/|website=Pando.com|publisher=PandoMedia Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711140535/https://pando.com/2014/02/14/in-new-letter-pbs-promises-to-continue-taking-anti-pension-billionaires-money-and-echoing-his-message/|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=WNETPension>{{cite news|last1=Jensen|first1=Elizabeth|title=WNET to Return $3.5 Million Grant for Pension Series|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/business/media/wnet-to-return-3-5-million-grant-for-pension-series.html|access-date=July 8, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=February 14, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170706084300/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/business/media/wnet-to-return-3-5-million-grant-for-pension-series.html|archive-date=July 6, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> On December 18, 2013, Neal Shapiro, president and CEO of WNET was quoted in a press release saying "this is the type of complex public policy story that only public television covers in an in-depth and ongoing way. WNET is poised to lead and further the dialogue about this challenging situation all across public media, on PBS, public radio, and online".<ref>{{cite web|title=The Pension Peril|url=http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/the-pension-peril/|website=Thirteen.org|publisher=WNET|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170810013004/http://www.thirteen.org/13pressroom/press-release/the-pension-peril/|archive-date=August 10, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

On February 12, 2014, [[PandoDaily]] reported that the sole sponsor of ''The Pension Peril'' was former [[Enron]] trader [[John D. Arnold]]<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sirota|first1=David|title=The Wolf of Sesame Street: Revealing the secret corruption inside PBS's news division|url=https://pando.com/2014/02/12/the-wolf-of-sesame-street-revealing-the-secret-corruption-inside-pbss-news-division/|website=Pando.com|publisher=PandoMedia Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807054925/https://pando.com/2014/02/12/the-wolf-of-sesame-street-revealing-the-secret-corruption-inside-pbss-news-division/|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> who had financially backed efforts to cut public employee pension benefits.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Arnold|first1=Laura|last2=Arnold|first2=John|title=Laura and John Arnold: Let's prevent another Detroit|work=Laura and John Arnold Foundation |date=August 12, 2013 |url=http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/laura-john-arnold-lets-prevent-another-detroit/|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170708040643/http://www.arnoldfoundation.org/laura-john-arnold-lets-prevent-another-detroit/|archive-date=July 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2014 |title=WNET Returns Arnold Foundation Grant for Series on Pension Funds |url=https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/wnet-returns-arnold-foundation-grant-for-series-on-pension-funds |access-date=April 19, 2024 |website=Philanthropy News Digest}}</ref> Stephen Segaller, WNET's vice president for programming told ''The New York Times'' on February 13, 2014, that he had "absolute conviction" that the [[Laura and John Arnold Foundation]] was an admissible funder and the funding did not violate PBS' "perception" rule. On February 14, Segaller told ''The New York Times'' that WNET had reversed course after discussing with PBS "both the facts and the optics. We all take very, very seriously any suggestion that there's a perception problem about the integrity of our work or the sources of our funding, and we came to the conclusion that it's better to err on the side of caution".<ref name="WNETPension" />
WNET and PBS issued a joint statement saying the series would go on hiatus and WNET would return the $3.5&nbsp;million grant it had received from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.<ref name="WNETPension" /> Segaller said in the statement, "We made a mistake, pure and simple". PBS [[ombudsman]], [[Michael Getler]], commented that PandoDaily's article "shines a light, once again, on what seems to me to be ethical compromises in funding arrangements and lack of real transparency for viewers caused, in part, by the complicated funding demands needed to support public broadcasting, and in part by managers who make some questionable decisions".

Getler added that WNET "went seriously wrong" and that their "decision to accept a grant of $3.5 million from the Arnold Foundation, with a stated interest in 'public employee benefits reform', flunks PBS's own 'perception test', which is part of the service's Funding Standards and Practices."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Getler|first1=Michael|title=Tensions Over Pensions|url=https://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2014/02/tensions_over_pensions_1.html|website=PBS Ombudsman|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170711140558/http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2014/02/tensions_over_pensions_1.html|archive-date=July 11, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Neglecting public mission and mandate===
In late 2014, WNET programming chief Stephen Segaller received widespread criticism for proposing to push the multi award-winning documentary strands ''Independent Lens'' and ''[[POV (TV series)|POV]]'' out of a prime time slot and onto a secondary station, WLIW (Channel 21).<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /><ref name=PBSNeglectingMission>{{cite news|last1=Lear|first1=Norman|title=Is PBS Neglecting Its Mission?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/opinion/is-pbs-neglecting-its-mission.html|access-date=July 10, 2017|work=The New York Times(New York Edition)|issue=A23|date=April 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808000216/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/07/opinion/is-pbs-neglecting-its-mission.html|archive-date=August 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Over 2,000 documentarians signed a petition,<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /> stating that WNET's action would lead to the shows being marginalized by PBS affiliates nationwide and have a severe effect on cutting edge documentary filmmaking.<ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> Among the prominent opponents of rescheduling ''POV'' and ''Independent Lens'' were filmmakers Alex Gibney and [[Laura Poitras]], who had campaigned against a similar move by WNET in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Taking Action: PBS Needs Independents|url=http://www.kartemquin.com/news/4425/taking-action-pbs-needs-independents|website=Kartemquin.com|publisher=Kartemquin Films|access-date=July 10, 2017|date=March 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807235114/http://www.kartemquin.com/news/4425/taking-action-pbs-needs-independents|archive-date=August 7, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> TV producer [[Norman Lear]] wrote an [[op-ed]] in ''The New York Times'' accusing WNET and PBS of a ratings-chase that "could devastate independent documentary film making". He criticized the broadcaster for "threatening, for the second time in four years, to downgrade documentaries, which are at the heart of its public mission."<ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> Many of the subjects ''POV'' and ''Independent Lens'' covered – like the Koch brothers' influence on American politics in Alex Gibney's film, ''Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream'' — have been controversial,<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /><ref name="PBSNeglectingMission" /> leading the Indie Caucus, a group of Independent filmmakers to speculate if the provocative subjects they explored might also be relegating them to the more obscure TV schedule.<ref>{{cite web|title=Indie Caucus Response to Statements by Congress About Diverse PBS Documentaries|url=http://www.indiecaucus.org/blog/|website=Indiecaucus.org|publisher=Indie Caucus|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528173436/http://www.indiecaucus.org/blog/|archive-date=May 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Segaller said it was "preposterous" to suggest that WNET had a censorship agenda when both programs had run for more than a decade. "One disputatious moment in a many-year history does not a conspiracy make," he declared.<ref name="WNETPushDocs" /> In April 2015, WNET relented and restored both strands to their original slots.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rainey|first1=James|title=WNET And PBS Agreement Keeps 'POV,' 'Independent Lens' in Primetime|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-wnet-pov-independent-lens-1201478442/|website=Variety (US edition)|date=April 23, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808000046/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-wnet-pov-independent-lens-1201478442/|archive-date=August 8, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Inaccuracy and improper influence===
In June 2015, a media furor forced WNET to postpone the third season of ''[[Finding Your Roots]]''<ref name=PBSSuspendsFYR>{{cite news|last1=Dowd|first1=Kathy Ehrich Dowd|title=PBS Suspends Finding Your Roots Amid Ethics Concerns Following Ben Affleck Controversy|url=http://people.com/tv/finding-your-roots-pbs-suspends-show-following-ben-affleck-controversy/|newspaper=People|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201043237/http://people.com/tv/finding-your-roots-pbs-suspends-show-following-ben-affleck-controversy/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=SuspensionFYR>{{cite web|last1=Garcia|first1=Tonya|title=Suspension Was the Only Option for PBS in 'Finding Your Roots' Controversy|url=http://www.adweek.com/digital/suspension-was-the-only-option-for-pbs-in-finding-your-roots-controversy/|work=Adweek|date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201083726/http://www.adweek.com/digital/suspension-was-the-only-option-for-pbs-in-finding-your-roots-controversy/|archive-date=December 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> when the [[Sony Pictures hack]] revealed via hacked emails that a subject of the series, [[Ben Affleck]], had lobbied for material relating to a relative owning slaves be removed from the show.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Brian|title=PBS Says Ben Affleck Had Undue Influence on 'Finding Your Roots'|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-ben-afflect-finding-you-roots-1201527439/|website=Variety|date=June 24, 2015|publisher=Variety Media Inc.|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628214148/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/pbs-ben-afflect-finding-you-roots-1201527439/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> Those edits, which violated PBS ethics standards,<ref name="PBSSuspendsFYR" /><ref name="SuspensionFYR" /> brought strong criticism from the media to WNET and the producers of the show. PBS issued a statement saying "the series co-producers violated PBS standards by failing to shield the creative and editorial process from improper influence, and by failing to inform PBS or WNET of Mr. Affleck's efforts to affect program content". The statement promised the episode would be withdrawn from distribution and that the series would employ "an independent genealogist to review all versions of program episodes for factual accuracy".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bentley|first1=Anne|title=PBS Conclusions of Finding Your Roots Internal Review|url=https://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-conclusions-of-finding-your-roots-internal-review/|publisher=PBS|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803075230/http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-conclusions-of-finding-your-roots-internal-review|archive-date=August 3, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After the suspension of the series, ''[[Adweek]]'' commented: "The network clearly understands that its integrity has been thrown into question by this controversy. Even if they understood where the producers of the show were coming from when they decided to entertain the request, PBS and the veracity of all that's included in their documentaries, requires decisive action that conveys just how serious this infraction was".<ref name="SuspensionFYR" /> The series returned to the air in January 2016.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steinberg|first1=Brian|title='Finding Your Roots' To Return To PBS After Ben Affleck Controversy|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/finding-your-roots-pbs-ben-affleck-1201621127/|website=Variety (US Edition)|date=October 19, 2015|publisher=Variety Media LLC|access-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628191628/http://variety.com/2015/tv/news/finding-your-roots-pbs-ben-affleck-1201621127/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== LGBTQ+ content ===
In March 2025, WNET came under fire by Republican members of Congress during the Anti-American Airwaves hearing, which saw the station accused of using public funding to push "radical, left positions". Following these hearings, the station scrubbed its archives of three episodes of the educational program ''Let's Learn''—two of which featured a children's book with a transgender protagonist, while the third featured a [[drag queen]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mazurov |first=Nikita |date=May 29, 2025 |title=PBS Station Wipes Drag and Trans Content After DOGE Outcry |url=https://theintercept.com/2025/05/29/drag-trans-pbs-wnet-censorship-doge/ |access-date=May 31, 2025 |website=The Intercept |language=en-US}}</ref>