In many cases, the glut of expert analysis seems to reduce opportunities for members of some communities to speak for themselves. Business and financial programs present the narrowest range of sources, with corporate representatives constituting half of the sources on these programs. The business program is, in fact, the most highly politicized type of program, representing the interests of one social sector overwhelmingly. In this format, citizen activists and members of the general public have greater access to public television. This may explain why documentaries have been the main focus of conservative criticisms.
Some findings directly refute conservative arguments about public television's alleged bias.
Even Frontline and Listening to America , two programs that were the focus of political pressure from Republicans, made use of Republicans more frequently than Democrats. Far from dominating public television, gay and lesbian activists were totally absent from public affairs programming in the time period studied. The study has been endorsed by several public interest groups and individuals who believe that this type of empirical study should inform any future debate about the biases and shortcomings of public television programming.