US Public Media in Peril: NPR and PBS on the Chopping Block

Illustration by Will Allen/Europinion

After Trump signed an executive order defunding the U.S. Agency for Global Media, Congressional Republicans and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have begun targeting U.S. domestic public media. National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) are two non-commercial, free-to-air information networks in the US, with a collective audience of hundreds of millions across radio, television, and digital platforms. According to a drafted White House memo, Trump is expected to end nearly all federal funding for public media, including NPR and PBS, by rescinding $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a congressionally chartered, independent, and publicly funded nonprofit organization. 

As the largest single source of funding for public radio and television, this funding cut will not only have devastating impacts on those who rely on their news coverage but will also strengthen calls for public media censorship, weakening a core and integral pillar of democracy: accountability through media.

Beginning their programming in 1970, NPR and PBS emerged after the signing of the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, a law that aimed to support the “instructional, educational, and cultural purposes of public television and radio broadcasting for the American people, especially children and minorities.” During these initial years, public media grew exponentially, solidifying their presence in American culture and providing education and information to people across the country. While PBS aired programming such as the children’s shows Sesame Street and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, NPR broadcasted US Senate deliberations on the Vietnam War. This coverage has only grown over time, with both media outlets running acclaimed programming such as NPR’s All Things Considered and PBS’s The American Experience, and having a viewership and listening audience in the millions.

"We serve the public interest. It's not just in our name — it's our mission,” an NPR statement read. “Across the country, locally owned public media stations represent a proud American tradition of public-private partnership for our shared common good." 

The history of public interest media is expansive and is a practice that goes beyond American borders. 

In the UK, the BBC, formed in 1920, is one of the oldest examples of public media broadcasting. Designed to foster an informed citizenry and build a public-interest information network, the BBC has served as a model for several governments worldwide and has stood the test of time, reaching an average of more than 450 million people globally each week. With a growing demand for nonpartisan news sources, the BBC has secured its presence in both international markets and US news coverage. 

According to a 2022 Reuters Institute and YouGov study, the BBC ranked as the most trusted news brand in the US, outperforming for-profit, major US news organisations. While the United States allocates merely $1.60 per capita to fund public media, the UK invests over $100 per person, highlighting not only a stark disparity in support for public service and independent journalism but also how investment can drastically change outcomes.

Back with the Trump administration, the value of public media is nonexistent, and rhetoric to undermine the service is on full display and rapidly progressing, with limited substantive pushback from Democrats, despite its direct impact on democracy.

During a Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing titled “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable,” chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga) denigrated public broadcasting, claiming funding goes toward pushing “radical left positions,” and “biased news.” At one point, eerily reminiscent of the hearings of the McCarthy era, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) pointed to a claim alleging that the editorial positions in the Washington D.C. NPR office consisted of “87 registered Democrats, 0 Republicans,” all while Rep. Robert Garcia, (D-Calif) asked PBS CEO Paula Kerger if the Sesame Street character Elmo was a communist.

As the US is now considered a “flawed democracy” and has a severe authoritarian threat index, this committee hearing is cause for concern, as these classifications can be traced to the poor treatment of the media and the weakening of accountability by autocrats, authoritarians, and populists alike. The Trump administration has continued to wield its power to threaten or punish the speech of journalists in various ways, including utilising the Department of Justice to take actions against media companies, and interfering with White House press access. Between battling in court for a CNN reporter's records and blocking access to Associated Press reporters, the Trump administration is following the strongman, Authoritarian playbook of quashing criticism or dissent, weakening the influence of media voices, and crying “fake news”.

Studies have also highlighted the links between a weakened public media system and the strength of its democracy. As democracy is intended to govern "Of, By, and For the People," de-investing in public good programming will be devastating for cultivating an informed public, not only to be aware of current affairs but also to hold the government accountable. Research has indicated that those with access to public media are less likely to have extremist ideologies, due to increased political knowledge and a higher aptitude for civic engagement. Additionally, public media is poised to have more diverse and critical coverage, driven by the public need and not profits. Due to these factors and its reach covering more than 98 percent of the US population, public media could be the solution to an increasingly fragmented media system, as surveys have found PBS to be the most trusted institution by a majority of respondents.

While the Trump administration continues its quest for real news and fact-based reporting, public media has been mistaken as and treated like an enemy, when in fact, it has consistently been one of the last safeguards against authoritarian drift. But perhaps, the Trump administration knows this all too well, which is precisely why US public media may remain in peril.