Rep. Greene to scrutinize NPR, PBS 'bias' at upcoming DOGE congressional hearing

Yahoo

20-03-2025

The Brief
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene plans to address perceived bias in NPR and PBS reporting at an upcoming DOGE Subcommittee hearing.
Katherine Maher and Paula Kerger, CEOs of NPR and PBS respectively, will testify at the hearing titled "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable" on March 26.
Greene questions the continued funding of NPR and PBS with American tax dollars, citing alleged bias and failure to report certain stories.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says she is looking forward to questioning the heads of NPR and PBS.
The Georgia Republican, who chairs the DOGE Subcommittee in the House, announced on Wednesday that she plans to discuss this at an upcoming hearing.
What we know
Katherine Maher, CEO and president of National Public Radio, and Paula Kerger, CEO and president of the Public Broadcasting Service, will testify at a hearing titled "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable" on March 26.
Rep. Greene wants the heads of these publicly funded organizations to address perceived bias in news reporting.
The congresswoman believes the organizations have repeatedly ignored stories that would seem damaging to the Biden administration.
She pledged she would be asking each CEO why American tax dollars should continue to subsidize NPR and PBS.
What they're saying
"I want to hear why NPR and PBS think they should ever again receive a single cent from the American taxpayer," Rep. Greene wrote in her statement on Wednesday. "These partisan, so-called 'media' stations dropped the ball on Hunter Biden's laptop, downplayed COVID-19 origins, and failed to properly report the Russian collusion hoax."
"Federal taxpayers should not be forced to pay for one-sided reporting, which attacks over half the country to protect and promote its own political interests. I look forward to working with the Trump administration to stop allowing the blatant misuse of taxpayer funds for partisan ends," she concluded.
The other side
Earlier this year, PBS's Paula Kerger addressed the growing concerns in an interview with the Associated Press. "I think it is different this time because so much is under scrutiny," Kerger said. "I never assume that government funding will continue. I think we have to work hard each and every time these questions come up to make sure we are making the case for why this is important."
She said it's a time when people assume "there is bias at play" when they don't see their opinions expressed in news stories. Some people feel news efforts are too conservative, others too liberal. "We take that part of our work pretty seriously, and if we miss something, we correct that," she said.
Kerger noted that local stations provide critical updates and news to underserved areas. "I'm always an optimistic person," Kerger said, "but I think it's going to require a lot of conversations to see if we can hold on to a level of funding to enable our stations to continue."
What we don't know
Maher and Kerger have not specifically responded to the hearing.
It is unclear what testimony they will offer.
What's next
The DOGE Subcommittee hearing on "Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the Heads of NPR and PBS Accountable" will be held at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 26.
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The Source
The details in this article were provided by the DOGE Subcommittee and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Previous quotes from PBS's Paula Kerger were provided by the Associated Press. This article is being reported out of Atlanta.