Public media is facing an imminent threat, if not extinction, at least of becoming an endangered species.
The Trump administration intends to cut federal funds that support public media — predominantly National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) — threatening the survival of approximately 1,500 public media outlets nationwide.
Not surprisingly, Donald Trump and his minions complain that public media represent a left-wing conspiracy to undermine “true American values,” however those may be defined. I’m not convinced such a conspiracy exists, though I do concede that anyone who argues public media doesn't lean left as a whole is kidding themselves.
I also think public media’s frequent focus (some might say “obsession”) on various so-called “woke” initiatives like transgenderism, acceptance of fringe sexual practices, and any other identity-based social justice issue doesn’t do it any favor in the court of conservative opinion.
That said, NPR and PBS provide some of the most thoughtful, insightful, and thorough analysis of current events, legislation, and politics. PBS’s flagship “NewsHour” broadcast is among the most balanced, in-depth, and respected newscasts nationwide, and I just don’t think the country would be best served by its loss.
Similarly, NPR’s “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” drivetime news shows provide substantially more background information and explanation of news stories than most of their radio dial neighbors — or their TV cousins.
Generally, I believe public media journalists present more nuanced and thoughtful news and analysis, often with accompanying criticism and even condemnation of widely held liberal views or initiatives. However, it’s in the various talk shows and editorials that a left-leaning bias is most often found.
So, the current Washington regime has asked Congress to cut financial support starting this fall to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This congressionally created entity provides funding for NPR and PBS.
If enacted, such a move would decimate NPR, PBS, and local public media stations across the country.
By design, CPB is federally funded on a two-year cycle to help insulate it from political interference. CPB currently receives more than $500 million a year, representing approximately $2.94 annually from each American taxpayer.
Compared to the myriad news and entertainment subscriptions most of us endure these days, that’s not a bad deal, I think.
Regardless, the current two-year, $ 1 billion commitment ends in October, and the Trump administration wants that cycle to end. This would be achieved through a process known as rescission, which allows Congress to claw back money it has already approved. Also on the rescission agenda for Trump and company this fall is money earmarked for USAID and the U.S. Institute for Peace.
Congress will consider these rescission requests when it returns from recess on April 28, which will in turn begin a 45-day period for the House and Senate to review them as well. If approved by Congress, either of those entities can then alter, approve, or deny a request.
In a recent “NewsHour” broadcast, reporter William Brangham explained that standard filibuster rules would not apply to any Senate vote on rescission. “So, to pass it, they would only need 51 votes,” he said. “The GOP has 53 votes in the Senate.”
In other words, if approved, cuts to public media networks and outlets will begin in October, which would clearly curtail NPR and PBS programming, but perhaps even more significantly, lead to the shuttering of a large number of rural stations across the country.
For example, Brangham reported that in testimony presented before Congress earlier this year, the head of Alaska Public Media said that if these cuts are implemented, most of the 26 stations spread across Alaska would have to close, and all the reporters working for them would be left unemployed.
Currently, all 50 states are served by public media, with its reach extending to more than 99 percent of the population. However, if federal funding is retracted, that network will disappear, the quality of service will undoubtedly decline, and “news deserts” will likely become commonplace, particularly in the western half of the United States, where major population centers are fewer and farther apart.
Additionally, PBS currently broadcasts a large number of children’s educational programs, featuring a wide range of cultural and artistic options.
The primary gripe from Trump and his tribe is that conservative voices are typically marginalized or outright excluded from public media; therefore, it should not exist. He and they also claim that by covering issues like race and gender, and sexual preference issues, the public media has embarked on a campaign to change the very culture of America.
That’s debatable.
To be fair, I do think conservative viewpoints are too frequently discounted or outright ridiculed on certain NPR and PBS offerings, and there should be improvement in that respect. However, to outright deny funding of what I still believe is a vitally essential and overall beneficial service to so many is short-sighted and does absolutely nothing to improve anything. We will be made less significant by starving our public media.
It also seems incredibly mean-spirited. Unfortunately, though, I think many of us have come to expect that from this bunch in Washington.