CV NEWS FEED // President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Thursday to end federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), criticizing both outlets for years of taxpayer-funded left-wing activism and “woke propaganda.”
The order instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to “cease federal funding for NPR and PBS,” citing a drastically changed media environment and lack of impartiality.
“Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options,” the order states. “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
In its statement announcing the order, the White House cited several examples of ideological bias, such as PBS broadcasting a drag queen program aimed at children, NPR endorsing “gender-affirming care” for minors without addressing long-term risks, and the network’s practice of labeling pro-life demonstrators as “anti-abortion rights activists.”
In one notable incident, a veteran NPR editor was suspended after criticizing the network’s “obsession with liberal causes.” He revealed that 87 NPR newsroom staffers were registered Democrats and none were Republicans.
“Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter,” the order states. “What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”
CatholicVote officially endorsed a separate proposal last month to end taxpayer funding for the networks, arguing the networks should rely on private support.
“Many liberal pundits insist that public broadcasting provides wonderful programming that the American people want,” CatholicVote Vice President Joshua Mercer said at the time. “If that’s the case, they don’t need taxpayer funding or the strings that come with it.”
Only about 1% of NPR’s funding comes directly from the federal government, but its member stations depend on the CPB for 8-10%. PBS and its affiliated stations receive approximately 15% of their total revenue through CPB support.