President Donald Trump has signed an executive order cancelling all PBS and NPR federal funding after accusing them of “bias” in their news coverage.
The executive order, signed on Thursday night, stated that “neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”
The two news organizations are America's primary public broadcasters and have received federal funding ever since President Lyndon Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967. The act led to the establishment of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for public radio and television. They receive roughly half a billion dollars in public money.
As a result of the new order, the White House declared that the CPB Board of Directors and all executive departments and agencies were to cease federal funding for the two news organizations.
“Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” the White House said.
“At the very least, Americans have the right to expect that if their tax dollars fund public broadcasting at all, they fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage,” it added.
Trump has repeatedly targeted what he and his other MAGA allies consider to be “the legacy media”, particularly those that run critical pieces on his policies.
Last month, he blasted both broadcasters on Truth Social, stating: ‘REPUBLICANS MUST DEFUND AND TOTALLY DISASSOCIATE THEMSELVES FROM NPR & PBS, THE RADICAL LEFT “MONSTERS” THAT SO BADLY HURT OUR COUNTRY!”
Since taking office, Trump has ousted leaders, placed staff on administrative leave and cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to artists, libraries, museums, theaters and others.
Trump has also pushed to withhold federal research and education funds from universities and punish law firms unless they agreed to eliminate diversity programs and other measures Trump has found objectionable.
PBS’ CEO and president, Paula Kerger said in a statement last month that the Trump administration’s effort to rescind funding for public media would “disrupt the essential service PBS and local member stations provide to the American people.”
The Independent contacted PBS and NPR for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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