Primetime Propaganda

Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV is a 2011 book by conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro. In it he argues that producers, executives and writers in the entertainment industry are using television to promote a socialist political agenda. Content As one part of the evidence, Shapiro presents statements from taped interviews made by celebrities and TV show creators from Hollywood whom he interviewed for the book. The book include quotes from, among others, the co-creator of Friends, Marta Kauffman, and the creator of Soap and the Golden Girls, Susan Harris. Another argument is that conservatives are shunned in the industry. For example, Vin Di Bona, a producer responsible for many 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 movement position, as the character of MacGyver does not use a gun, but rather his own intelligence. People involved with television shows M*A*S*H and Happy Days told Shapiro that they possessed pacifistic and anti-Vietnam War agendas. Another example is the television show Sesame Street which is accused of deliberately spreading left-wing propaganda to children. Producer Leonard Goldberg stated to Shapiro that in the industry liberalism is "100 percent dominant, and anyone who denies it is kidding, or not telling the truth", and when Shapiro asked if politics are a barrier to entry replied, "Absolutely". Producer and director Nicholas Meyer replied "Well, I hope so," when asked if conservatives are discriminated against, and stated regarding the 1983 made-for-TV film The Day After that, "My private, grandiose notion was that this movie would unseat Ronald Reagan when he ran for re-election."