KPFA's General Manager replies to the Bay Guardian...
Bay Guardian reporter Belinda Griswold responds
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From the Letters to the Editor column of the San Francisco Bay Guardian, January 22, 1997:

KPFA's mission

Let's get to the praise part right away: Belinda Griswold's story about KPFA and Pacifica Radio ["Radio Static," 12/25/96] was not entirely inaccurate. Not at all. The skilled Ms. Griswold was absolutely right, for example, about Pacifica being "the country's only progressive, listener-sponsored radio network." She was also perfectly correct in noting that "for 40 years KPFA has been at the center of the Bay Area's progressive community ... a priceless institution that has reflected and included community voices on the most pressing issues of the late 20th century." Never mind that it's been 48 years, she laid down some serious journalism there, and we KPFA folks are saying this right off, right here in the first of these two paragraphs, accentuating the positive, giving credit where credit is due, oh yes. No question Ms. Griswold can be accurate at times.

It's all the other times that concern us. We're reluctant, of course, to criticize a potentially decent reporter, but for truth's sake it must be pointed out there are times when she is inaccurate, and not merely inaccurate, but thoroughly wrong, and not only thoroughly wrong, but persistently conveying a false picture, and not only persistently conveying a false picture, but doing so knowing it is a false picture. That is, at best, bad faith. Ah, well. As for KPFA, our original mission remains our mission for the present and for the future: to defend democratic ideals; to encourage cultural diversity; to promote freedom of the press; to maintain independent funding. _Bay_Guardian_ readers with sustained interest in this might want to participate in one of the listener forums KPFA is holding this month and next throughout the Bay Area. To register for one of the six forums, just call (510) 848-6767, ext. 640.

Marci Lockwood
General Manager, KPFA

Belinda Griswold responds:

It's great to hear from our friends at KPFA now, since they were less than forthcoming when I asked to interview them for the story they now complain so loudly about. Never mind that Lockwood does not bring up a single specific factual inaccuracy in her letter, or that she refuses to address the serious conflicts at the station and network. This doesn't stop her from insisting that a progressive newspaper shouldn't bother itself with pesky little problems like secrecy around major policy shifts at a community-supported broadcaster.

My question to Lockwood is, how should the Bay Guardian cover the goings-on at KPFA? Should we unquestioningly accept stonewalling and doublespeak from management, turn a blind eye towards major programming shifts, ignore the voices of reputable dissenters?

Or should we report on the story as well as we can, given the fact that those leading Pacifica's reconfiguration refuse to answer serious questions about their decision-making process and the vision behind it? In the end, no amount of mantra-like repetition that the station continues to "defend democratic ideals" and "promote freedom of the press" will answer the many pressing questions now facing Pacifica's decision-makers.

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