According to FOX NEWS, the executive order to halt federal funding for PBS and NPR was the latest broadside by the Trump administration against the outlets, which it has accused of peddling progressive content without balance. Trump has signaled since taking office that he was interested in cutting off the federal spigot to NPR and PB.
Fox News contributor Kim Strassel says it’s been ‘obvious’ for years that NPR and PBS have a left-leaning agenda.
“Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” Trump’s order states. “At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage. No media outlet has a constitutional right to taxpayer subsidies, and the Government is entitled to determine which categories of activities to subsidize.”
NPR and PBS quickly fired back at President Donald Trump over his executive order attempting to halt federal funding for the outlets on Friday, calling it “blatantly unlawful.”
“The President’s blatantly unlawful Executive Order, issued in the middle of the night, threatens our ability to serve the American public with educational programming, as we have for the past 50-plus years. We are currently exploring all options to allow PBS to continue to serve our member stations and all Americans,” PBS President Paula Kerger wrote.
NPR released a 618-word statement vowing an immediate challenge as well, saying, “We will vigorously defend our right to provide essential news, information and life-saving services to the American public. We will challenge this Executive Order using all means available.”
“This is not about balancing the federal budget,” NPR said. “The appropriation for public broadcasting, including NPR and PBS, represents less than 0.0001% of the federal budget. The President’s order is an affront to the First Amendment rights of NPR and locally owned and operated stations throughout America to produce and air programming that meets the needs of their communities.”
Trump’s order, issued late Thursday, instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS.” It further requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations. The CPB was told to not give direct funds to either outlet, as well as cease indirect funding through grants to local stations.
Given the almost certain legal challenge that will come for Trump’s EO, it’s unclear how his move will affect NPR and PBS for now. The CPB is funded two years in advance to prevent immediate political interference.
