Latest news with #PatriciaHarrison
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR and public radio stations sue Trump White House over funding cuts
NPR and three of its member stations filed suit in federal court Tuesday against President Trump's White House over the president's executive order to block funding for public media. Trump's order called for an end to government dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to NPR and PBS. He called the outlets "left wing propaganda." The suit says the May 1 action by Trump violated the 1st Amendment. "The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased,'" the legal brief said, according to an NPR report. The suit also says that the funding — currently at around $500 million annually — is appropriated by Congress. The allocation is made two years in advance. "Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government," Corp. for Public Broadcasting chief Patricia Harrison told NPR in a statement. Harrison said that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency subject to the president's authority. Read more: Nixon hated PBS, but his Watergate scandal gave the fledgling network a major hit "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 Chief Executive Katherine Maher said in a statement. The order is one of a number of attempts by Trump to limit or intimidate institutions he does not agree with. Targets included law firms, universities and media companies such as CBS, which is being sued for $20 billion over a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. NPR filed the suit with three public radio outlets, including Denver-based Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Pubic Radio and KSUT which serves the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Both NPR and PBS have stressed that the bulk of the federal funding they receive goes to stations that provide local news and emergency alerts for their communities. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
NPR and public radio stations sue Trump White House over funding cuts
NPR and three of its member stations filed suit in federal court Tuesday against President Trump's White House over the president's executive order to block funding for public media. Trump's order called for an end to government dollars for the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the taxpayer-backed entity that provides funding to NPR and PBS. He called the outlets 'left wing propaganda.' The suit says the May 1 action by Trump violated the 1st Amendment. 'The Order targets NPR and PBS expressly because, in the President's view, their news and other content is not 'fair, accurate, or unbiased,'' the legal brief said, according to an NPR report. The suit also says that the funding — currently at around $500 million annually — is appropriated by Congress. The allocation is made two years in advance. 'Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government,' Corp. for Public Broadcasting chief Patricia Harrison told NPR in a statement. Harrison said that the Corp. for Public Broadcasting is not a federal agency subject to the president's authority. '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 Chief Executive Katherine Maher said in a statement. The order is one of a number of attempts by Trump to limit or intimidate institutions he does not agree with. Targets included law firms, universities and media companies such as CBS, which is being sued for $20 billion over a '60 Minutes' interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential campaign. NPR filed the suit with three public radio outlets, including Denver-based Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Pubic Radio and KSUT which serves the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Both NPR and PBS have stressed that the bulk of the federal funding they receive goes to stations that provide local news and emergency alerts for their communities.
The Herald Scotland
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump administration kills funding for PBS children's shows
"Nearly every parent has raised their kids on public broadcasting's children's content. For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS KIDS content has produced measurable, real-world impacts on children's learning," Patricia Harrison, President and CEO of CPB, said in the press release. "Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for the last 30 years because of the programs' proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children. We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program." The 2020-2025 cycle, which expires Sept. 30, was approved by the first Trump administration. Programs funded by the Ready To Learn Grant have included the iconic shows "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow" and "Clifford the Big Red Dog." Now, popular shows like "Molly of Denali," "Work It Out Wombats!" and "Lyla in the Loop" are being funded by the grant, the CPB said. In a statement sent to USA TODAY, Madi Biedermann, a spokesperson for the Department of Education, said the cuts were to funding "racial justice educational programming." "This is not aligned with Administration priorities. The Trump Department of Education will prioritize funding that supports meaningful learning and improving student outcomes, not divisive ideologies and woke propaganda," Biedermann said. PBS Kids: 'We will continue to fight' Sara DeWitt, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PBS KIDS, said in a statement to USA TODAY they would continue to fight to keep providing shows for children in the U.S. "This decision removes a critical resource public television has used to enable us to create high-quality, educational PBS KIDS content while opening up worlds of possibilities for millions of kids across the country. We will continue to fight in order to maintain our essential service," DeWitt said. Cuts to PBS, NPR an ongoing fight The cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting come as the Trump administration continues to try and defund PBS and NPR. Trump signed an executive order instructing the CPB to "cease direct funding" to NPR and PBS, according to the text released by the White House on May 1. It labeled the news outlets as partisan and biased. "The CPB Board shall cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding," the order added. Both NPR and PBS have previously said that Trump's effort to cut their funding would disrupt essential media services and have a "devastating impact" on Americans who rely on them for credible local and national news, including during emergencies. Contributing: Reuters Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
New York Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Administration Kills Grant for PBS Children's Shows
The White House effort to cut funding for NPR and PBS is beginning to take effect. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which backs NPR and PBS, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Department of Education had terminated a federal grant program that funded shows for children. The abrupt cancellation of the grant program, called Ready To Learn, resulted in a loss of $23 million that would have gone to children's educational shows and games. Patricia Harrison, the president and chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, criticized the move, saying that nearly every parent has had their children watch shows funded by the program. 'We will work with Congress and the administration to preserve funding for this essential program,' she said in a statement.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Administration Terminates Education Grant That Has Helped Fund PBS Kids Content
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting said today that the Trump administration has terminated grants that have long been used to fund education initiatives and PBS Kids programming. The CPB said that it was informed by the Department of Education on Friday that the 2020-25 Ready to Learn grant was being canceled, forcing it to inform PBS and 44 public media stations to pause the long-running program. More from Deadline 'Nearly every parent has raised their kids on public broadcasting's children's content,' Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of the corporation. 'For the past 30 years, Ready To Learn-funded PBS Kids content has produced measurable, real-world impacts on children's learning. Ready To Learn has received strong bipartisan support from Congress and every Administration for the last 30 years because of the programs' proven educational value in advancing early learning skills for all children. We will work with Congress and the Administration to preserve funding for this essential program.' A spokesperson for the Department of Education did not immediately return a request for comment. The grants have helped fund such shows as Molly of Denali, Work It Out Wombats! and Lyla in the Loop. Ready to Learn was established to improve education for preschool and early elementary students, with goals of reaching those in low-income communities. The Ready to Learn grant was authorized as a 1992 amendment to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS have received grants each five year cycle, with the latest expiring on Sept. 30. According to the Education Department, CPB and PBS were expected to receive a total of $105 million under the program for the past five years. The grants are separate from the congressional appropriation to the CPB, which has been $535 million. Last week, Trump signed an executive order ordering the CPB to end federal funding to PBS and NPR. But the CPB and those networks have challenged the president's authority to do so, as Congress directly authorized and funded CPB to be a private nonprofit corporation wholly independent of the federal government.' Trump also ordered other federal agencies to end funding to public media. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
