2005 Ombudsmen Charter
Superseded by the revised charter adopted February 1, 2011
The Office of the Ombudsmen for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is independent and reports to the Board of Directors and the President of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Office of Ombudsmen will encourage public dialogue aimed at achieving high standards of excellence and balance in public broadcasting.
This Charter establishes the Office comprised of two ombudsmen. Their terms will be for two years and may be renewed by the CPB Board.
The ombudsmen, respected journalists, will write on issues related to journalistic integrity, balance and objectivity.
The ombudsmen will initiate their own reports as well as respond to program issues raised by the public and government officials and the public broadcasting community. All decisions to review programming – and all reports on broadcasts – will be made jointly.
The ombudsmen will be bound by the traditions that govern journalistic excellence.
The ombudsmen will confine their writing to material that has been broadcast on the public airwaves and will not engage in pre-broadcast commentaries.
CPB will receive comments from the public at large on their website, and reports from the ombudsmen will be posted on the website.
In keeping with the highest ethical standards, the ombudsmen will adhere to the Ombudsmen’s Code of Ethics for CPB. They will be paid by CPB, and the work will be facilitated by CPB staff.