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Republicans grill PBS, NPR chiefs as Democrats mock proceedings

BBG News

During the initial session of the Wednesday congressional hearing about public media financing, a big image of drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess, who previously appeared on a PBS Kids program, was shown behind the chairperson of the committee, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia.

The presented image served as a precursor to the hearing in Washington, where Greene and fellow Republican House members criticized Paula Kerger, CEO of PBS, and Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, regarding their content and what was perceived as a liberal inclination.

These two publicly-funded media organizations often find themselves at the center of Republican initiatives aimed at reducing government expenditure. Notably, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which manages federal funds allocated to public media, receives approximately $500 million annually from the government. This sum represents a tiny fraction of the overall federal budget.

In 2021, the performer known as Lil Miss Hot Mess appeared on “Let’s Learn,” a program produced by the New York public broadcasting station WNET. Critics from the Republican party argue that this performance embodies a politically progressive viewpoint.

If I had stumbled upon a child predator in one of my kids’ rooms, intentionally seeking them out, I would be utterly shocked,” Greene stated. “And this isn’t the sole instance where PBS has been sexually suggestive towards children or preparing the ground for such behavior.

According to Kerger, the particular segment was uploaded on the PBS website but didn’t get broadcasted on national television. After a span of about a month, it was taken down from the site.

During the 2020 election, Republicans criticized media leaders for not focusing enough on the Hunter Biden laptop issue and the possibility that the COVID-19 virus might have emerged from a laboratory in China.

Greene stated, ‘NPR and PBS can express their dislike using their own money.’ He suggested that it’s past time for the American taxpayer to no longer bear the costs.

she characterized the two services as “resonating hubs catering predominantly to an urban, liberal, and progressive crowd that is primarily white and often dismissive or critical of rural America.

In their discussions, both Kerger and Maher highlighted the unique strength of PBS and NPR in delivering television and radio programming to regions lacking reliable broadband internet connections.

Additionally, they pointed out that a significant portion of federal funding for public broadcasting goes straight to community-focused local stations. The withdrawal of these funds could lead to the shutdown of certain PBS and NPR stations in lesser populated areas.

In rural communities, PBS stations serve as the sole source of broadcasting local happenings such as high school sports, regional history, culture, debates among candidates at all levels of elections, and agricultural-specific news. They also disseminate important public safety information and emergency notifications.

Kerger pointed out that educational programs on PBS are greatly appreciated in areas lacking preschool opportunities. During her latest visit to a Nebraska broadcasting station, she encountered locals expressing gratitude as their young children had learnt to read by tuning into PBS shows.

During the hearing, Democrats jokingly teased their remarks, with Representative Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) playfully questioning Karen Keger if “Elmo from Sesame Street” might be a communist due to his distinct red color.

Multiple individuals suggested that the time of Republican legislators could be more productively used by investigating how journalist Jeffrey Goldberg gained access to a group chat with military and intelligence personnel discussing a potential operation against the Houthis.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) stated that the Republicans have orchestrated a peculiar hearing with an aim to persuade the public into believing that PBS and NPR pose a domestic threat, rather than the Secretary of Defense who lacks competence and qualifications, and is reportedly sending war plans to journalists.

The Republicans argue that it’s outdated for taxpayers to support PBS and NPR, as there are now countless ways for people to access news and programming online instead.

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Paula Kerger, starting from her role as president and CEO of PBS in 2006, has made trips to 49 different U.S. states.

In 1967, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was established, as there were only three major television networks and just a few local TV stations per market.

The GOP attacks were harsher on NPR and its leader Maher than they were on PBS.

Lawmakers focused their attention on comments made by Maher prior to her role at NPR. In these statements, she referred to Trump as a “deranged, racist sociopath” and expressed concern that terms like “boy” and “girl” are offensive towards individuals who identify as non-binary, labeling them as “erasing language.

Maher expressed remorse for her statement about Trump, a remark she made when serving as the head of the Wikimedia Foundation.

2024’s critique of NPR was bolstered by an article penned by a former long-term editor, Uri Berliner, for The Free Press. In this piece, he suggested that the service was experiencing a decrease in listeners due to a perceived loss of America’s trust.

Berliner asserted that NPR excessively emphasized the probe into Russian collaboration with the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election, and he further claimed that the news division disregarded the story regarding Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop out of fear that reporting on it could aid in Trump’s re-election.

As an ardent follower, I acknowledged that Maher wasn’t with NPR, yet she echoed the importance of addressing the laptop story. She further mentioned that NPR has since taken steps to enhance their editorial procedures, aiming for all content to be impartial and thorough.

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2025-03-27 01:01

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