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Court battle likely over Trump’s executive order to defund public broadcasting

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In simpler terms, on Thursday night, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at stopping federal funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a publicly funded organization that supports various media outlets. The president referred to these outlets as biased sources of “progressive” or left-leaning news.

However, Trump’s persistent attempts to reduce financial support for public broadcasting networks like PBS and NPR are encountering significant resistance.

The order represents Trump’s most recent effort to restrict or intimidate entities he disagrees with, encompassing law firms, educational institutions like universities, and media corporations such as CBS, currently embroiled in a lawsuit worth $20 billion over an interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris on “60 Minutes” during the 2024 election campaign.

On Friday, the CPB swiftly responded, issuing a statement that claims the President lacks the authority to halt its financing; instead, it’s Congress who holds that power.

According to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), they were explicitly granted autonomy and financial support by Congress, making them a separate, self-governing, non-governmental organization.

It’s anticipated that the White House will approach Congress formally, seeking to reclaim approximately $1.1 billion from the CPB budget over the next two years, which they are probably already aware of.

However, the president’s executive order may be ineffective if the White House faces legal action regarding this matter, a possibility that seems imminent.

The spokesperson from the CPB declined to discuss potential legal steps, yet PBS President Paula Kerger stated in a release that they are examining all possible courses of action.

In simpler terms, Kerger stated that the sudden, illegal decree by the president, enacted late at night, poses a risk to our longstanding mission of providing educational content to the American public, which we’ve been doing for over half a century.

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In 1973, I found myself captivated by the unfolding events of the Watergate hearings, tuning in daily for updates. Not only did these broadcasts garner massive attention from viewers like me, but they also sparked a wave of financial contributions. It was this public interest and support that ultimately gave birth to the esteemed “PBS NewsHour.

In a straightforward manner, Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, declared they would counter Trump’s Executive Order by utilizing all possible resources at their disposal. She considered Trump’s order as an attack on the First Amendment freedoms of NPR and community-based radio stations across America, allowing them to create and broadcast programs tailored to their local communities’ needs.

At a Capitol hearing in March, both executives faced intense questioning from Republican legislators, particularly when an image of drag queen Lil Miss Hot Mess, who had recently appeared on a PBS Kids show, was shown behind the committee chair, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Jeffrey McCall, a professor of communication at DePauw University, argues that the funding for public radio and TV outlets by the government should be reconsidered as the variety of information sources now available in today’s media landscape was not present when the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was established in the 1960s. Contrastingly, the White House seems to be undermining itself with its political criticisms.

In simpler terms, McCall stated that if the matter goes to court, CPB lawyers will argue it’s a case of viewpoint discrimination and they would likely be correct. He also pointed out that the Trump administration’s approach to this issue seems somewhat politically motivated, as they are making it appear like a political game.

One motivation behind establishing the CPB during the late 1960s was to safeguard programming content from being influenced by governmental financing and editorial manipulation.

The President unveiled an executive order called “President Trump Brings an End to the Chaos Surrounding NPR and PBS”. He accompanied this announcement with numerous instances he deemed as examples of biased or poor quality reporting, which he referred to as “examples of the sensationalism that masquerades as ‘news’.

The material presented featured a news story from NPR concerning the consumption of placentas by humans, a tradition with roots dating back for many years, as well as a 2017 documentary on PBS about a teenager who identifies as transgender.

Should the conflict reach Congress, it’s likely that locally-based public media outlets like NPR and PBS stations might gain more influence due to a significant portion of their funding coming from the CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting). These local stations are frequently the sole providers of journalism in their respective communities.

According to information provided by PBS, approximately 58% of television households across the country watch programming on one of their affiliate stations during a twelve-month period. Additionally, about 60% of PBS’s viewership resides in remote or less densely populated areas.

Although some argue that internet availability justifies cutting public media funding, PBS points out that their programming is watched in 87% of homes without internet access and 56% of lower-income households.

Politicians from Republican-led states, who often have less exposure on Fox News, appreciate local broadcasts as platforms to connect with their voters. This approach has historically been effective in maintaining funding for public media.

Despite having a larger pool of potential financial backers among listeners and local sponsors in Los Angeles, the absence of federal funds would represent a substantial loss.

According to a source privy to LAist KPCC-FM’s (89.3) inner workings, although the potential loss of around $2 million represents only a fraction of its overall budget estimated at about $45 million, it is still significant enough that it could potentially affect staffing and programming. The source, however, was not allowed to discuss these matters publicly.

KCRW-FM (89.9), stands to lose $1.3 million from a budget of $24 million, slightly more than 5%.

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2025-05-03 01:31

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