The two common commentators were called “biased” and “woke,” and US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that would remove public funding from NPR and PBS.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting ( CPB), which receives more than$ 500 million annually from Congress, is instructed to” cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent permitted by law” and prevent NPR and PBS from receiving any additional funding.
According to the attempt, “NPR and PBS promote views without regard.”
What matters is that neither organization presents a true, correct, or objective view of recent events to taxable citizens, the order added.
The White House claimed in a social media post that the broadcasters “use millions of taxpayer dollars to distribute extreme, woke advertising disguised as “news.”
According to the statement, “NPR and PBS have fueled politics and left-wing advertising with tax dollars, which is very unsuitable and an inappropriate use of taxpayer money, as President Trump has stated.
Currently, federal funding accounts for 1 % of NPR and 15 % of PBS revenue. Radio mainly concentrates on news and public matters, according to Politico, despite the fact that PBS produces a wide range of programming.
The choice is anticipated to encounter legal problems. Prior to the Trump administration’s attempt to withdraw funds from another congressionally supported press outlets like Voice of America, federal courts have previously ruled against it.
In a hearing before the House Committee on Government Efficiency ( DOGE ) in March, NPR and PBS’s leaders defended their funding.
Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO, emphasized the group’s editorial freedom and asked lawmakers to keep their backing. Give us the chance to use this special and important resource again to provide the British people, she said.
PBS CEO Paula Kerger echoed those worries in a public announcement made the previous month, warning that some local channels “would not arise” without federal money. She argued that these actions would “disrupt the bribe-free service that PBS and regional member stations offer to the American people.”
Nothing is more American than PBS, and our job is just possible thanks to the bipartisan support Congress has always given us, she said.
She continued,” This public-private agreement supports stimulating and inspiring applications of the highest quality and helps us help make millions of children for achievements in school and in life.”
The Trump administration’s wider initiatives include those involving the US Agency for Global Media, which regulates Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. Solid legal and political opposition has also been afoot for those actions.
