The authority of the White House was invoked in decisions being made at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by its chairman, according to e-mails obtained by NPR. The chairman, Kenneth Tomlinson, has repeatedly denied accusations that he has attempted to politicize the agency during his tenure, which began in September 2003.
Among the agency's chief duties is the doling out of federal funds to public television and radio, primarily to individual stations but to PBS and NPR as well. The inspector general of the CPB has begun an investigation of the new claims.
This week, the CPB is slated to review candidates for its president and chief executive post, which was vacated when Kathleen A. Cox left office after nine months. The agency's budget is also up for review in Congress.
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