Megan Basham

Well, you know, President Trump has made it very clear for some time that he's no fan of public broadcasting. Just recently, he posted that Republicans must defund and totally disassociate themselves from NPR and PBS, the radical left monsters that so badly hurt our country. So close quote, of course, there.

And he said that taxpayer funding of media networks is not only outdated and unnecessary, but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence. Well, on Thursday, he made that policy official. The president signed an executive order to eliminate about 535 million annually to NPR and PBS and other public media.

And he said that taxpayer funding of media networks is not only outdated and unnecessary, but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence. Well, on Thursday, he made that policy official. The president signed an executive order to eliminate about 535 million annually to NPR and PBS and other public media.

But in a statement Friday, Patricia Harris, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, immediately shot back at this, saying that the company is not subject to the president's authority. She says Congress authorized the funding, so only Congress can end it. Paula Kerger, president of PBS, also put out a statement. She called Trump's order blatantly unlawful.

But in a statement Friday, Patricia Harris, president and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, immediately shot back at this, saying that the company is not subject to the president's authority. She says Congress authorized the funding, so only Congress can end it. Paula Kerger, president of PBS, also put out a statement. She called Trump's order blatantly unlawful.

This is what she told PBS NewsHour last week.

This is what she told PBS NewsHour last week.

One of PBS's star personalities, writer David Brooks, has also been out defending his employer. This is what he said Friday.

One of PBS's star personalities, writer David Brooks, has also been out defending his employer. This is what he said Friday.

Both PBS and CPB say that they are going to pursue all legal options to block Trump's order.

Both PBS and CPB say that they are going to pursue all legal options to block Trump's order.

Yeah, and the administration and its allies have really zeroed in on her past statements, like a 2018 ex-post that called Donald Trump a racist. Now, she later deleted that, but in 2022, in a TED Talk, she also suggested that a reverence for the truth can be a distraction from positive social change.

Yeah, and the administration and its allies have really zeroed in on her past statements, like a 2018 ex-post that called Donald Trump a racist. Now, she later deleted that, but in 2022, in a TED Talk, she also suggested that a reverence for the truth can be a distraction from positive social change.

So I would say that she's not as out front as the others, likely because of her past public comments and associations. But she also put out a statement indicating that NPR is going to fight this in court.

So I would say that she's not as out front as the others, likely because of her past public comments and associations. But she also put out a statement indicating that NPR is going to fight this in court.

You know, I would say that maybe the most noteworthy item here is Yuri Berliner. He exposed NPR's dismissal of the Hunter Biden laptop story and its focus on diversity initiatives over balanced reporting. So Berliner's suspension after his whistleblowing especially fueled that feeling that NPR has been silencing non-leftist voices. This is what he told the Free Press last year.

You know, I would say that maybe the most noteworthy item here is Yuri Berliner. He exposed NPR's dismissal of the Hunter Biden laptop story and its focus on diversity initiatives over balanced reporting. So Berliner's suspension after his whistleblowing especially fueled that feeling that NPR has been silencing non-leftist voices. This is what he told the Free Press last year.

So, no doubt, a lot of that evidence is going to end up in court.

So, no doubt, a lot of that evidence is going to end up in court.

My pleasure.