In October 2010, PBS station WTTW-11 in Chicago excluded Rich Whitney and LeAlan Jones from their live gubernatorial and senatorial debates. Whitney, Jones, and the Illinois Green Party filed suit shortly thereafter, charging WTTW with violating the Public Broadcasting Act and violating its non-profit status. Unlike other situations where Greens have been excluded from debates, the WTTW exclusions were particularly disgraceful, given that they’re a public television station, and that they refused to even provide an objective basis for the exclusion.

The case, officially Whitney v WTTW, is live in federal court in Chicago. Read the amended complaint here:

www.ilgp.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Whitney-v-WTTW.pdf

WTTW has retained a high-priced law firm and has threatened the plaintiffs with sanctions if the lawsuit is not withdrawn. ILGP reminds its members and supporters – many of whom have been long-standing supporters of public television – that they should not give any money to WTTW until they acknowledge they were wrong to exclude the Green candidates and guarantee that future debates will be inclusive. WTTW, as a public station, is largely member-supported (think about those annual pledge drives), and if WTTW’s supporters speak up, their policies can be changed.

ILGP can also use help on the media front. We’re looking to fill the positions of Media Coordinator and Campus Media Coordinator, and we’d especially like to ramp up efforts to bring greater attention to the lawsuit. Similar exclusions have happened elsewhere in the country, and we’d like to get help bringing attention to public television failing to live up to its stated mission. The airwaves are public airwaves and public television in particular is partially taxpayer-supported. Our voice matters on this issue.