Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s board of directors to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” the nation’s primary public broadcasters.
The federal funding for NPR and PBS is appropriated by Congress, but Orange Ass contends that the content produced is left-wing biased.
The executive order further requires that they work to root out indirect sources of public financing for the news organizations. The White House, in a social media posting announcing the signing, said the outlets “receive millions from taxpayers to spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as ‘news.’”
On Monday, Trump crowed about firing three of five board members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. On Tuesday, the corporation fired off a lawsuit pointing to federal law and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to contend that he does not have the power to do so.
NPR’s President and CEO Katherine Maher, at the helm since March 2024, defended NPR’s coverage in recent interviews and before Congress’s oversight committee on allegations of ideological bias in public broadcasting.
In that congressional hearing Maher was grilled about social media posts she made before her tenure at NPR, and PBS’ Paula Kerger was excoriated for posting a video to a local New York City member station website that showed a drag performer singing a children’s song.
