In an attack on public media that could reverberate from Washington to Rhode Island, President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday calling for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to end funding to NPR and PBS.
“Neither entity presents a fair, accurate or unbiased portrayal of current events to tax-paying citizens,” the order says.
Because CPB is a nonprofit created by Congress and not a federal department, it’s not clear that the president has the authority to change the corporation’s strategy. But any change to CPB funding, or the rules around the corporation’s allotments, would impact local public media organizations, like The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS.
The vast majority of direct funding from CPB goes to local member stations through Community Service Grants. The executive order prohibits stations that receive this money from sending funds to NPR or PBS for programming.
Funding from CPB to The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS’s joint organization amounts to roughly $1.1 million, or 9% of the budget.
“I’m very concerned,” Pam Johnston, president and CEO of The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS said in an interview. “I feel as though we’ve seen public media threatened in the past, but never at this level, and never with this intensity, and never as a way to kind of quiet independent journalism.”
Johnston spoke with The Public’s Radio host Dave Fallon about how President Trump’s actions could affect local public media stations like The Public’s Radio and Rhode Island PBS.
Interview Highlights
On the CPB’s reaction to the executive order
Pam Johnston: I think you can expect to see CPB, NPR and PBS challenge this executive order, collectively, by all means available. That said, I think it’s really important to say out loud that this is a clear and present threat to trusted, local, fair, free, unbiased journalism.
On what leaders at NPR and PBS, and member stations across the country, are saying in response to threats
Johnston: This is a moment of great challenge. Federal funding is at stake, and to be truthful, we can’t do this work without that funding. So this is a critical moment and an important challenge. And we are here to tell you that this would really impact us here in Rhode Island — our audiences, our community, the content that we make that is by folks that work here and live here, for people who enjoy it here at home.
On the impact to local programming that federal cuts could have
Johnston: Programming here in Rhode Island is paid for by a variety of different funding models. Certainly, the federal funding is a piece. But we are also so fortunate to be receiving contributions from members — “listeners like you” — and folks who watch Rhode Island PBS. So we are diversified, but it also will really hurt how much we can do…Arts and culture programming, events that we do out in the community. We have a really special and engaged Education team that is helping to create curriculums for teachers. Our Education team is in the classroom. It’s out in the libraries, and this is the kind of work that is really strengthening our community and our families that live here in Rhode Island.
On what listeners should know
Johnston: I want to thank our listeners and our supporters for being with us, for tuning in, for listening, for being members, for sharing our stories and for supporting what we do. We need you now more than ever. So please keep listening. Tell your friends to do the same.
There is a petition that you can sign at protectmypublicmedia.org, which adds your voice and your name to this moment. Continue to make us better. Continue to tell us what kinds of stories you want to hear. We are in this for the long run. We intend to fight. We intend to tell stories. This will not stop us, even if it changes us.
