Latest news with #PublicBroadcastingActof1967
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
NPR CEO rips Trump order to defund as ‘retaliation,' insists media outlet is 'non-partisan'
NPR CEO Katherine Maher assured PBS on Wednesday that her outlet is "non-partisan" following President Donald Trump's latest executive order seeking to defund the station. In an interview on "PBS NewsHour," the NPR boss trashed Trump's executive order to "cease Federal funding for NPR," calling it "viewpoint discrimination" and saying that Trump is just taking it out on NPR because it goes against his views. "And so, it is a textbook example of viewpoint discrimination from a First Amendment standpoint," she said, adding, "Essentially, by blocking funding to NPR and PBS, it is a form of retaliation against our organizations for airing editorial programming that the president might disagree with." Boise State Public Radio Chief Fears Service Cuts If Trump Funding Ban Succeeds Trump signed the order earlier this month which mandated that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies stop funding NPR and other public media outlets like PBS. The text of the order read, "NPR and PBS have fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda with taxpayer dollars, which is highly inappropriate and an improper use of taxpayers' money, as President Trump has stated." Read On The Fox News App Maher's outlet, joined by three public Colorado stations — Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio and KSUT — filed a lawsuit against the order in federal court on Tuesday. In a statement, the NPR CEO said, "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." 5 Things Veteran Npr Editor Exposed In Stunning Criticism Of Own Employer's Liberal Bias During the PBS interview on Wednesday, Maher suggested that Trump's executive order violated "safeguards" established by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 that keep "public media independent from government influence." PBS has not joined NPR's suit but said it is weighing legal options, among others. "PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organization to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans," PBS spokesman Jeremy Gaines said earlier this week. PBS NewsHour anchor Geoff Bennett asked Maher about accusations that NPR promotes a liberal bias, bringing up Republicans' claims, as well as those of former NPR editor Uri Berliner. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Berliner, who quit NPR in 2024, blew the whistle on the outlet in an essay for The Free Press that same year, slamming NPR for its "absence of viewpoint diversity." Maher responded to the critiques, declaring, "Well, first of all, I respond by saying we're a non-partisan news organization. We seek to be able to provide a range of different viewpoints in terms of who we bring on air, the stories that we tell." "My view is that is a mischaracterization of our work. We do not seek to favor any political party at all. We seek to ensure that Americans have a wide range of perspectives available to them," she added. In response to Maher's comments, a White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital: "The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is 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. 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."Original article source: NPR CEO rips Trump order to defund as 'retaliation,' insists media outlet is 'non-partisan'
Wall Street Journal
6 days ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
NPR Challenges Trump Order to End U.S. Funding of Public Media
National Public Radio has filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump's executive order to end federal funding of public media, saying the effort violates the First Amendment and federal law. In the suit, NPR said Trump's order runs counter to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which prohibits federal agencies from controlling the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the umbrella organization that oversees government funding for the Public Broadcasting Service and NPR. NPR also called the executive order an attack on freedom of speech that is 'textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination.' The suit was filed Monday by NPR, Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio and KSUT Public Radio. 'NPR has a First Amendment right to be free from government attempts to control private speech as well as from retaliation aimed at punishing and chilling protected speech,' Chief Executive Katherine Maher said. The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, Trump issued an executive order that directed the end of federal funding to the public-media organizations because neither NPR nor the Public Broadcasting System, 'presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.' PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting have previously said they would also fight the executive order. Write to Joe Flint at
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Do Federal Funding Cuts Spell the End for ‘Sesame Street'?
On May 1, President Donald Trump issued an executive order targeting what the White House called 'biased media' that benefits from federal funding, directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)—an independent nonprofit created through the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967—to cut federal taxpayer funding for PBS and NPR. Then, on May 6, the Department of Education terminated the five-year 'Ready to Learn' grant that, through the CPB, provided $23 million in funding for the production of various children's TV shows. Claims spread on social media from both sides of the political spectrum that the cuts would lead to the cancellation of the beloved children's show Sesame Street. Congressional Democrats also raised warnings about the future of the show. 'Do you love Sesame Street?' Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey asked in a video shared to X. 'The Trump administration just terminated the $23 million federal grant program that helped to fund them.' 'We grew up on Sesame Street,' Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut tweeted. 'Losing PBS and NPR would mean losing that. We have to fight to keep them alive.' Similarly, Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico both tweeted and stated on the House floor, 'In Donald Trump's America, not even Elmo is safe.' The White House's targeting of funds for public broadcasters doesn't mean Sesame Street is going away. Government funding makes up only 4 percent of the revenue received by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces the show, per its website. Distribution fees and royalties account for 50 percent of the nonprofit's revenue, while licensing makes up 20 percent. Contributions from foundations and corporations make up 13 and 11 percent, respectively. Government funding is ahead of only contributions made by individuals, which represents 2 percent of its revenue. Sesame Workshop's 2024 tax returns have not yet been made public, but its forms from earlier years show similar figures for federal funding received. In 2023, Sesame Workshop reported $186,926,322 in total revenue, and said it received $9,122,254 in total government grants, about 4.9 percent of its annual revenue. The year prior, in 2022, Sesame Workshop reported $249,317,160 in total revenue and $6,619,042 in government funding, a share of merely 2.6 percent. In 2021, government grants to the nonprofit totaled $2,827,241, less than 2 percent of its total revenue of $195,548,598 that year. Moreover, educational programming funds from the Ready to Learn grant, while used for Sesame Street in the past, would not go to Sesame Workshop because PBS no longer produces new episodes of Sesame Street. HBO in 2015 bought the production rights to the show for about $30 million to $35 million annually, until the streaming service decided to end the arrangement last year. Since 2020, new Sesame Street episodes have aired on HBO, and aired for free on PBS only months later. The current, 55th season of Sesame Street—which started airing in January—will be the final season to be released on HBO, though the streaming service will continue paying $6 million annually to host the collection of past episodes through 2027. So while the White House's decision does not directly jeopardize Sesame Street, many questions remain about the show's future direction. In early March, Sesame Workshop laid off about 100 employees—about 20 percent of its staff—citing 'current economic challenges inherent to the drastically changing media landscape.' The nonprofit's internal documents reviewed by the New York Times show that Sesame Workshop is on track to run a $40 million deficit next year. That's a far cry from its 2023 tax filings, which show the nonprofit ran a deficit of more than $5 million that year. There's also uncertainty about funding for new episodes now that the HBO relationship is ending, and Sesame Workshop is looking to strike a new deal with a streaming service company that can arrange funds for new episodes. While no agreement has been reached yet, per the New York Times, Sesame Workshop has been in discussions with streaming companies including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and YouTube. If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@ If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's anti-media campaign threatens Idaho public TV, radio
Funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting accounts for about 20% of Boise State Public Radio's annual budget. At Idaho Public Television, it accounts for $2 million, or 17% of its budget. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to cut public subsidies to PBS and NPR, which would affect Idaho's local affiliates. Trump's executive order doesn't make it so, as the money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is approved by Congress. But congressional approval hasn't stopped Trump before, and given the way this Congress has kowtowed and ceded power to the executive branch, it's worth worrying about. If Congress follows through with Trump's order, the effect likely would be felt most acutely in Idaho's rural communities. 'Public radio and public TV stations all have independent control, and they are located in hundreds of towns across the country, and this would be devastating to lose that support,' Boise State Public Radio general manager Tom Michael told me in a phone interview. 'I think ultimately it would probably reduce support in rural areas.' Idaho Public Television, for example, reaches 99% of Idaho households and is the state's only free media service that provides programming to every Idaho community, reaching all 44 counties and serving nearly 830,000 unique viewers, with 7.3 million overall views every month. Boise State Public Radio has 27 transmitter sites all over the state. Its largest share of audience and members is obviously right here in Boise, but the station has made big investments recently in Salmon, Challis and Stanley to reach as many Idahoans as possible. 'We do that because we have this nonprofit mission of service,' he said. 'The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 points to universal service, so I feel a lot of that would unravel.' Michael said that beyond the direct CPB grant funding of $600,000 that Boise State Public Radio receives, cuts to shared services with NPR and CPB would mean the impact of cuts could be closer to $1 million. NPR and PBS get about $500 million in public money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to PBS News. That amounts to $1.60 per person per year. Michael said he's always planning for contingencies, but for the time being, both Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Public Television are proceeding with plans based on current funding levels. 'At this point we have not experienced any disruptions in funding, and we can't speculate on anything at the federal level,' Jeff Tucker, Idaho Public Television general manager, wrote to me in an email. 'This is a matter for Congress to decide. We need to respect the process.' Trump's attacks on NPR and PBS News, among the most trusted news sources in the country, is just another tired page from his tired playbook of attacking the media. Trump said NPR and PBS 'spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as 'news.'' This is from an administration that attacked the credibility of a journalist who accurately reported that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared attack plans on a Signal messaging app chat. Anytime a journalist reports something that paints Trump in a bad light, regardless of the fact that it's true, he attacks the journalist, which is just a ploy to discredit people who are holding him accountable for his abuses of power and his lies. Blame the messenger. It reminds me of a sign I saw at the Boise May Day rally: 'Truth is not fake news.' Both Boise State Public Radio and Idaho Public Television have pages on their websites that provide the public with more information about what they do and the services they provide. In addition, Michael encourages listeners to go to to urge Congress to save the public media funding. 'In general, I think the independence of public media is under attack,' Michael said. 'When I think of public media, it serves 99.7% of the country. It's congressionally approved. It's bipartisan, it's widely supported, and it's been around for 50 years.' Scott McIntosh is the opinion editor of the Idaho Statesman. You can email him at smcintosh@ or call him at 208-377-6202. Sign up for the free weekly email newsletter The Idaho Way .
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Sen. Luján calls out Trump order on NPR, PBS
Longtime KUNM volunteer DJ Don McIver pictured hosting the station's afternoon Freeform program (Megan Kamerick/KUNM) 'Unlawful' and 'illegal' is how U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) on Friday described President Donald Trump's May 1 executive order eliminating funding for NPR and PBS. Entitled 'Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,' the order directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to cease current and future direct and indirect funding 'consistent with my Administration's policy to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage.' It also directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary to determine whether PBS or NPR '(or any successor organization)…are complying with the statutory mandate that 'no person shall be subjected to discrimination in employment . . . on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, or sex.' In the event of a finding of noncompliance,' the order continues, 'the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall take appropriate corrective action.' Luján, the ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, said in a statement the 'unlawful' order, signed 'in the dark of night,' will 'strip New Mexicans of vital access to public programming that educates, entertains, and keeps us safe. For decades, NPR and PBS have delivered news, entertainment, and much more to New Mexicans, especially in rural and Tribal communities. Public media, like NPR, PBS, and their local affiliates, provide critical information to New Mexicans in all corners of the state — including during disasters and emergencies when our rural communities rely on public media the most.' Moreover, Luján's statement noted, 'this illegal executive order is an attempt by President Trump to strip New Mexicans of vital public services that thousands rely on day-to-day. The President is disregarding CPB's authority and working to prevent New Mexicans from accessing free news, educational programming, and emergency alerts. Defunding NPR and PBS will leave New Mexicans in the dark when they need information the most.' Local NPR affiliate KUNM General Manager Richard Towne, in a statement provided to Source, agreed with Luján's characterization of the order, writing: 'In my view, the EO does not have the legal basis for enforcement. This is because CPB is an independent non-profit corporation, not a government agency. The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 protects CPB against political meddling through Congressional funding for two years of funding.' Towne notes that the CPB is currently funded by Congress 'with White House approval' through Sept. 30, 2027, so Trump's executive order bypasses Congress. Trump's order impacts approximately $540,000 in CPB funding for KUNM over the next two years, he said. For public radio and television together, the impact is more than $11 million over the next two years, he noted, adding: 'This is not chump change.' New Mexico PBS General Manager and CEO Franz Joachim sent Source a similar comment, also noting that Trump's EO 'is a clear violation of the 1st amendment and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as a firewall against federal interference how our federal funding is used.' Federal funding of public media, he added, 'is essential and irreplaceable. Government should fund the free distribution of information that saves lives and changes lives. Towne also shared a letter he received Friday afternoon from CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison that says while Trump's executive order 'is concerning, we believe it has no effect on CPB, since CPB is not a federal agency subject to the President's authority.' As such, 'CPB will not be adding any additional conditions or restrictions on our Community Service Grants. Payments will continue to go to our grantees per their grant agreements.' Harrison's letter also noted that a few days prior to the executive order, the Trump administration 'sent emails to three members of CPB's Board of Directors stating they are fired effective immediately. We immediately filed a lawsuit to say the Administration has no authority to terminate any of CPB's board members. A U.S. District Court Judge ruled in favor of holding a hearing on our motion for a temporary restraining order, which seeks to block the president's actions until the case can be fully heard. The hearing is scheduled for May 14. That being said, Harrison acknowledged rumors that the administration intends to try to pull back $1.1 billion from CPB's forthcoming budget,. The CPB board met Friday to discuss these issues. 'I am proud of the resilience and dedication I have seen across the system,' Harrison's letter concludes. 'Your efforts ensure that public media remains a cornerstone of our shared democracy. Together, we will navigate these challenges, guided by our shared commitment to service, education, and community.'
