We all know, of course, that the tax-exempt, partly taxpayer-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting maintains a scrupulous neutrality when it comes to partisan politics. Ditto for the hundreds of public radio and television stations operating under its aegis: they, too, are models of political even-handedness. Otherwise they would be in violation of the law, which prohibits such tax-exempt corporations from intervening in political campaigns. We also know, of course, that any rumors to the contrary—for example, that these public entities consistently display a distinct preference for Democratic over Republican candidates—are just that: rumors put forth by mean-spirited enemies of these great benefactors of public intelligence and taste.

We are at something of a loss, therefore, to explain the September 10 front-page story in The Boston Globe revealing that the president of PBS had resigned in ...

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