Latest news with #CorporationForPublicBroadcasting
RNZ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Public Broadcasting Service sues Trump to reverse funding cuts
By Jonathan Stempel , Reuters US President Donald Trump takes questions outside the West Wing of White House in Washington, DC, on 8 May 2025. File photo. Photo: JIM WATSON Public Broadcasting Service has sued Donald Trump over the US president's executive order to cut its federal funding , calling it an unconstitutional attack that would "upend public television". In a complaint filed on Friday (local time) in the Washington, DC federal court, PBS and a public TV station in Minnesota said Trump's order violated the US Constitution's First Amendment by making the president the "arbiter" of programming content, including by attempting to defund PBS. The 1 May order "makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS, because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech", PBS said. "That is blatant viewpoint discrimination." Its programming has included Sesame Street , Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , Frontline and several Ken Burns documentaries, including The Civil War . Member stations also broadcast public affairs shows, like Washington Week. Trump's order demanded that the taxpayer-backed Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut federal funding to PBS and NPR, short for National Public Radio. All three entities are nonprofits. PBS said the Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides 16 percent of its US$373.4 million annual budget. It also said the funding ban would apply to local member stations, which provide 61 percent of its budget through dues, including millions of dollars in federal funds. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was "creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime. Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS". NPR filed its own lawsuit on 27 May to block Trump's order. Formed in 1969, PBS has 336 member stations, including the plaintiff Lakeland PBS, which serves about 490,000 people in northern and central Minnesota. The executive order was part of Trump's effort to sanction entities he believed were opposed to his political agenda. Trump said that, by funding PBS and NPR, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ignored Americans' right to expect that taxpayer dollars going to public broadcasting "fund only fair, accurate, unbiased and nonpartisan news coverage". The White House separately accused PBS and NPR of using taxpayer money to spread "radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news'". In its complaint, PBS said Trump's order "smacks of retaliation for, among other things, perceived political slights in news coverage". The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives funding from Congress two years in advance to shield it from political interference. It sued Trump last month, after he sought to fire three of its five board members. The case is Public Broadcasting Service et al v Trump et al, US District Court, District of Columbia, No. 25-01722. - Reuters
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
PBS sues Trump administration, says executive order cutting federal funding violates First Amendment
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is suing the Trump administration over its efforts to cut the network's federal funding, calling the move "unconstitutional." "[In] an Executive Order issued on May 1, 2025, the President declared that government funding of private sources of non-commercial media is 'corrosive,' and singled out PBS (alongside National Public Radio) as failing to provide 'fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news,'" the court filing obtained by Fox News Digital reads. "PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms. But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS," it continued. The lawsuit, which names Northern Minnesota Public Television as a co-plaintiff, lists several defendants, including President Donald Trump, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessett, Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "Indeed, since Congress laid the foundations for the growth of public television over 50 years ago, it has repeatedly protected the flow of federal funds from political interference by filtering them through a non-federal, non-profit, and non-partisan entity—the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ('CPB')—and by providing for long-term appropriations," it said. "Lest there be any doubt that the Executive Branch should have no power to influence CPB's decision-making, Congress enacted a specific '[p]rohibition': no 'department, agency, officer, or employee of the United States' may 'exercise any direction, supervision, or control over public telecommunications, or over [CPB] or any of its grantees'—including with respect to 'the content or distribution of public telecommunications programs and services.'" "The EO violates not only those straightforward statutory restrictions but also the First Amendment. The EO makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech. That is blatant viewpoint discrimination and an infringement of PBS and PBS Member Stations' private editorial discretion," the filing continues. "The EO also seeks to impose an unconstitutional condition on PBS Member Stations' receipt of federal funds by prohibiting them from using federal funds to access PBS programming and services. And the EO smacks of retaliation for, among other things, perceived political slights in news coverage. That all transgresses the First Amendment's protection of both speech and freedom of the press." In a statement to Fox News Digital, a PBS spokesperson said, "After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations." "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayers' dime," a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "Therefore, the President is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding to NPR and PBS. The President was elected with a mandate to ensure efficient use of taxpayer dollars, and he will continue to use his lawful authority to achieve that objective." Earlier this week, National Public Radio (NPR) and a trio of Colorado public radio stations similarly filed a lawsuit against Trump's executive order. "The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press. It is an affront to the rights of NPR and NPR's 246 Member stations, which are locally owned, nonprofit, noncommercial media organizations serving all 50 states and territories. Today, we challenge its constitutionality in the nation's independent courts," NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a lengthy statement.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
PBS Sues Trump Over Order to Cut Funding
PBS sued President Trump on Friday to block an executive order that would cut federal funding for public television and radio, arguing that it was unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington by PBS and a public TV station in Minnesota, says that Mr. Trump's order violates laws that 'forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' 'The executive order makes no attempt to hide the fact that it is cutting off the flow of funds to PBS because of the content of PBS programming and out of a desire to alter the content of speech,' the lawsuit says. 'That is blatant viewpoint discrimination.' The White House had no immediate comment. Mr. Trump signed an executive order this month demanding that the taxpayer-backed Corporation for Public Broadcasting cut federal funding from NPR and PBS, arguing that those organizations were politically biased. Both organizations pushed back vehemently: NPR sued to block the executive order this week, and Paula Kerger, the chief executive of PBS, called it 'blatantly unlawful.' The order, PBS says, will 'upend public television,' which has aired shows like 'Sesame Street,' 'Mister Rogers' Neighborhood' and 'Frontline' for decades. About 16 percent of PBS's budget of $373.4 million annual budget comes directly from grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which spends more than $500 million each year on public media. PBS's lawsuit says that Mr. Trump's order also jeopardizes the roughly 61 percent of its budget that comes from local station dues, arguing that the White House ban on indirect funding of PBS would apply to local stations. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives its funding from Congress two years in advance to insulate it from short-term political priorities. A PBS spokesman said in a statement that the network 'reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television's editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations.' In its lawsuit, PBS argues that Congress — not Mr. Trump — has the power to fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The lawsuit also says that the First Amendment prohibits the president from deciding which organizations should receive funding based on the views they express. Mr. Trump's executive order is one of several efforts taken by Republicans to weaken public media. The White House has signaled that it will ask Congress to rescind funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and it has attempted to fire members of the corporation's board of directors. There are also efforts underway in Congress to pass bills that would take away funding for NPR and PBS.
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
The ‘Daniel Tiger' effect: How quality kids' TV impacts teen mental health—and why cuts to PBS could be disastrous
Parents used to be freaked out when kids were reading romance novels or Horatio Alger books. It seems quaint now, when so many parents (and teens!) are concerned about the effects of social media and screen time. But it speaks to a universal truth: The stories we learn have the power to shape our lives. Stories are among the oldest forms of teaching. They don't just shape our thinking, they actually affect us at a neural level. This is especially true for kids: The entertainment that children consume during their most formative years plays an important role in shaping who they become and how they relate to the world around them. Now, however, some of the most reliable sources for high-quality children's media are on the chopping block with the administration's threat to cut federal funding of PBS, accounting for 15% of its funding, which will only limit access to valuable programming that can impact future generations. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education recently notified the Corporation for Public Broadcasting about the immediate termination of its Ready to Learn grant, taking away the remaining $23 million of a grant that was set to end on September 30. PBS has received this grant every five years for the past 30 years, and it accounts for one-third of PBS Kids' annual budget. There have been many studies on the immediate effects of media on children, from specific learning goals to impacts on self-esteem. But one thing that hadn't been measured extensively was how much those learnings persist over time. That's why my colleagues and I at the Center for Scholars & Storytellers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied the long-term impact of Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, a modern-day Mister Rogers-inspired program. The show, which we weren't involved with, was developed in close collaboration with child-development experts to purposefully and thoughtfully model social skills and emotional regulation tools for young kids. The final deadline for Fast Company's Brands That Matter Awards is this Friday, May 30, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.
The Independent
7 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
NPR sues Trump over ‘textbook retaliation' for slashing funds: ‘This wolf comes as a wolf'
NPR and three other public radio stations have filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump White House over the president's recent executive order cutting Congressionally appropriated funds for NPR and PBS, claiming that Trump's actions violated the Constitution and freedom of speech. 'The president has no authority under the Constitution to take such actions,' alleges the lawsuit, which was filed in the District of Columbia on Tuesday. 'On the contrary, the power of the purse is reserved to Congress.' In an executive order earlier this month, President Donald Trump – who has devoted much attention to threatening the free press and dismantling state-funded media organizations – directed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's board of directors to 'cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,' which are the nation's two largest public broadcasters. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the NPR suit. 'It is not always obvious when the government has acted with a retaliatory purpose in violation of the First Amendment,' the lawsuit noted. ''But this wolf comes as a wolf.' The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased.' 'Neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens,' the order declared. 'The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding.' The complaint by NPR argues that the president's order is 'textbook retaliation' and a threat to public radio's existence. Notably, NPR is joined by three public radio stations – Colorado Public Radio, KSUT Public Radio and Aspen Public Radio – in the lawsuit. While NPR only receives a fraction of its funding – roughly 2 percent – from federal grants, most of that funding goes to local radio and TV outlets. 'The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment's protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press,' NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement. 'This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has ruled numerous times over the past 80 years that the government does not have the right to determine what counts as 'biased,'' she added. 'NPR will never agree to this infringement of our constitutional rights, or the constitutional rights of our Member stations, and NPR will not compromise our commitment to an independent free press and journalistic integrity.' In his executive order, Trump accused NPR and PBS of 'biased' coverage and insisted that federal funds should instead go to 'fair, accurate, unbiased and nonpartisan news coverage,' which followed his recent threats to pull back funds. Trump also attempted to fire several board members of the CPB last month, prompting them to sue Trump to block the terminations. While the lawsuit states that Trump does not have the authority to rescind funding that Congress appropriated, GOP lawmakers are currently working on legislation to defund public broadcasters. PBS, which receives about 15 percent of its funding from the government, did not join NPR's complaint, suggesting the organization may file its own separate lawsuit.
