Hi everyone- Just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the newest member of the media reform team here at Common Cause. I came to Common Cause from the Alliance for Better Campaigns where I worked on media and campaign reform issues.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) will hold a Board of Directors meeting on Monday that is supposedly open to the public. But past practice indicates that the most important discussions and decisions will likely be made in executive session, behind closed doors and off limits to the public and the press.

Yesterday, Common Cause joined Free Press and the Center for Digital Democracy in running an ad in Current – the leading trade newspaper of the public broadcasting industry – calling for greater transparency and accountability at CPB. Click here or on the image to see a copy of the ad.

We are running this ad as part of our campaign to open up the CPB. Last week, Common Cause joined eleven other media reform groups asking the CPB to consider adopting a series of resolutions at next week’s meeting that would ensure greater openness and public participation in the decision-making process at CPB. The CPB board and its chairman have been under intense scrutiny in recent months over allegations that the board may be attempting to influence editorial decisions, an unprecedented occurrence in the organization’s 40-plus year history. The CPB’s own Inspector General is currently investigating, and his report will likely be completed soon.

It’s critical that the CPB, which is funded by taxpayer dollars, act as transparently as possible. You can help by calling the office of CPB president Patricia de Stacy Harrison at (202) 879-9662 and asking that the CPB adopt new policies that make it more accountable to the American people.