7. Schubb. "Myth: Amy Goodman who hosts Democracy Now! is being persecuted for her political ideas. Reality: [Goodman] ...has never been given any directives regarding the content of the program...When a program manager was finally named last year and some efforts were made to address longstanding non-editorial problems at Democracy Now!, some falsely politicized the situation by portraying Ms. Goodman as a victim of ideological discrimination."

REAL REALITY: As noted, Schubb participated in a meeting in Washington at which Goodman was taken over the coals on content as well as style, with specific references at this meeting to subjects allegedly treated in excess like East Timor and capital punishment. No "directives" were given her, only implied warnings, which were then followed up by a letter from Washington requiring that her programs be submitted in advance to the Pacifica management.

She has been removed from the Wake-Up Call program on WBAI, after first being subjected to a hostile co-host who referred to her as a "racist" and a "bitch". Following her removal, other WBAI hosts were told they were barred from having her on their programs as a guest or co-host. Her Democracy Now! offerings have been repeatedly dropped for reasons that would appear to be content related. The program itself, often described as national Pacifica's "flagship", was recently moved, without notice, from WBAI's main studio to a smaller one not properly equipped for the broadcast. KPFK and WBAI phone room personnel have been instructed to tell listeners who are calling to complain about the removal of current Democracy Now! broadcasts during fundraising, that Goodman refused to fund-raise, a lie, and that their requests for the program's return will insure its permanent removal. Goodman said that Pacifica management informed her, "KPFK General Manager Mark Schubb did not want me to fund-raise live on the air."

Goodman has filed grievances for harassment and censorship, but no doubt she is confusing politics with the "longstanding non-editorial problems" that Schubb says is all there is to the matter.

8. Schubb. "Myth: Local Advisory Boards are fighting to democratize the Pacifica National Board. Reality: The National Board of Pacifica is no more or less democratic that the average nonprofit board. However, the Local Advisory Board (LAB) is completely self-selecting and not in any way accountable to the individual stations. In the case of KPFK, the current LAB has been hijacked by a small group of anti-Pacifica zealots...the overwhelming majority of KPFK staff have formally demanded that the leadership of the LAB resign..."

REAL REALITY: We pointed out earlier that the Pacifica board is less democratic than that of many other nonprofits, and is completely self-selecting. What is more, it has consolidated its control by illegally removing the rights of the LABs to elect a majority of the national board (an issue in all three lawsuits in process against the Pacifica management). While ignoring this national board move to self-selection, Schubb has the audacity to castigate the LABs as "completely self-selecting" and unaccountable, as if this were really bad business! He also ignores the fact that the KPFA LAB already holds subscriber elections, that the KPFK LAB has passed a motion in support of developing an election process, and that the listener law suit specifically calls for the institution of elected LABs.

When people who oppose Schubb take power they "hijack" the institution, whereas the Pacifica management can self-select and be unaccountable without criticism. Needless to say, he fails to show in any way that the LABs, who are "unpaid volunteers" (a phrase he uses to put his Pacifica board allies in a good light), are not trying to democratize Pacifica. His statement that the majority of the KPFK staff oppose the local LAB proves only that Schubb's extensive firings of staff and volunteers who have disagreed with him (more than 150 people have been removed during his tenure) has left KPFK with a staff that will find that Schubb "never makes mistakes."

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