The Trump administration took aim at public broadcasting, issuing an executive order to cut federal funding for PBS and NPR. The White House justified the move by accusing the outlets of pushing what it called “radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.'” The order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to stop direct funding to both PBS and NPR member stations.
While the move might play well with a certain segment of the former president’s base, it raises serious questions about the future of public broadcasting. Government funding makes up approximately 14% of PBS’s overall budget, with the rest coming from viewer donations and other sources. PBS CEO Paula Kerger has warned that pulling this funding would significantly disrupt the vital services PBS offers to communities across the country.
This isn’t the first clash between the Trump administration and the CPB. Following the former president’s attempt to replace three of the five CPB board members, the CPB took legal action against the White House. Now, with this latest executive order, the administration is reportedly planning to ask Congress to revoke $1.1 billion allocated to the CPB, effectively cutting off two years’ worth of funding.
The CPB, established by Congress in 1967, distributes funds to over 1,500 local public radio and television stations. The executive order argues that in today’s saturated media environment, government funding for news organizations is unnecessary and actually compromises journalistic integrity. It will certainly be interesting to see how this plays out in the courts and in the halls of Congress.
