| Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Ben Shapiro |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Broadside Books |
| Publication date | May 2011 |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 978-0061934773 |
Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV is a 2011 book by Ben Shapiro. In it he argues that producers, executives and writers in the entertainment industry are using television to promote a liberal political agenda. As evidence, he presents statements made by celebrities and T.V. show creators from Hollywood whom he interviewed for the book. The book include quotes from, amongst others, the co-creator of Friends, Marta Kauffman, and the creator of Soap and Golden Girls, Susan Harris.[1] For example, Vin Di Bona, a producer responsible for a large number of hit television shows, agreed during an interview with Shapiro that Hollywood promotes a liberal political agenda, commenting, "I'm happy about it, actually." Di Bona also said that MacGyver, the cult hit show on which he was a producer, promoted an anti-gun position.[2]
Regarding how he was able to interview numerous celebrities for the book, Shapiro stated, "I also told them I was profiling the biggest names in Hollywood over the last 50 years. I assume that many of them bought into that last part – people in Hollywood aren’t exactly known for their humility. They must have assumed that with a name like Shapiro and a Harvard Law credential, there was no need to Google; I would have to be a leftist. When I spoke with them, I used certain liberal code words – 'social justice,' 'tolerance,' 'diversity.' And they spoke freely with me, with permission to tape."[3] Vin Di Bona stood by the statements quoted from his interview but added that the material "was obtained in a duplicitous manner" accusing Shapiro of misrepresenting the nature of his book prior to interview.[4] Marta Kauffman said that "the idea that we are pushing an agenda is nonsense" adding that "the dangerous thing about the book is it implies we don't want a dialogue."[4] Another of the interviewees, George Schlatter, rejected suggestions that Hollywood is conspiring to exclude the conservative perspective and accused the right wing of being "guilty of everything they accuse the left wing of".[4]
Portions of some of the interviews which were released onto the internet to promote the book, particularly the Di Bona interview, caused the director and producer Lionel Chetwynd to resign from the Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors. In an open letter, he wrote about the reaction of other members of the caucus to Republican Party politicians: "I knew most of my fellow members looked upon the political positions of these people as distasteful; what I now understand is the disgust was not for their views, but for their very person".[4]. Primetime Propaganda also accuses the children's television show Sesame Street of advancing a liberal agenda.[5]