C-SPAN, the public service cable television channel created by the American cable industry, prides itself on presenting live and unvarnished coverage of public affairs. The channel’s mission is to provide its audience “access to ... forums where public policy is discussed, debated and decided—all without editing, commentary or analysis and with a balanced presentation of points of view….” And to “provide elected and appointed officials and others who would influence public policy a direct conduit to the audience without filtering or otherwise distorting their points of view….”
For the most part, C-SPAN does a remarkable job of meeting its mission and provides a valuable public service.
On January 11, 1999, though, C-SPAN blinked.
After running repeated announcements that it would be carrying a Larry Flynt news conference live, C-SPAN pulled the plug 45 minutes before the Flynt conference.
A few hours before Flynt’s scheduled news conference, Republican National Chairman, Jim Nicholson, faxed C-SPAN Chairman, Brian Lamb accusing Flynt of attempting to embarrass and intimidate his political enemies. Several reports indicate that C-SPAN programming officials were unaware of the fax when they made their decision to pull the plug on the Flynt news conference. C-SPAN did run the Flynt conference, unedited, later in the day.
Larry Flynt, at his 10:00 PM CST news conference on January 11, 1999, accused Representative Bob Barr (R-Georgia) of hypocrisy for refusing to answer questions during his divorce from his second wife about his relationship with a woman who is now his third wife.
Representative Barr’s second wife, Gail Vogel Barr, said in an affidavit that her former husband paid for her abortion in 1983 and that he had driven her to and from the clinic. Barr reportedly testified during the divorce proceeding that he had opposed his wife’s abortion.
Representative Barr, is known as being fiercely opposed to abortion and has campaigned heavily on the issue. During his unsuccessful 1992 Senate campaign, for instance, Barr was quoted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as saying he “would do absolutely everything in [his] power to stop” his wife or stepdaughter from having an abortion. “As a public official who has cast dozens of pro-life votes in the Congress, and a strong opponent of abortion, I have never suggested, urged, forced, or encouraged anyone to have an abortion,” Barr said in a statement after Flynt’s news conference.
Flynt said he will release additional allegations against other Republicans in the future.
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