The case for defunding NPR and PBS is about a lot more than bias

Washington Examiner Header

President Trump is right that PBS and NPR fail to reflect the โ€œpublicโ€ mood in any honest way.

Back in 1969, television personalityย Fred Rogersย famouslyย convincedย a group of skeptical senators to continue funding public television to the tune of $20 million. โ€œWell, Iโ€™m supposed to be a pretty tough guy,โ€ ranking Sen. John Pastore fromย Rhode Islandย told Mr. Rogers near the end of the testimony, โ€œandย this is the first time Iโ€™ve had goosebumps for the last two days.โ€ Theย short speech was allegedly so convincing, itโ€™s often heralded as an illustration of how to use emotional intelligence to connect to an audience.

At the time, public television was relatively new. The 1964ย Democratic Partyย platform was the first to promise โ€œeducational televisionโ€ programs funded by the federal government. Then again, there were only 82 channels in the entire country. A major metropolis had, if they were lucky, five stations that only ran programming a few hours a day. I can remember such a world myself. So perhaps then it made sense to offer Americans the neglected educational programming rather than just Bonanza or Bewitched. Though, to be honest, public television doesnโ€™t seem to have made us much smarter.

In any event, just as large swathes of society were handed to the state, Lyndon Johnsonย signedย the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which argued that it was in the common good โ€œto encourage the growth and development of public radio and television broadcasting, including the use of such media for instructional, educational, and cultural purposes.โ€ (Iโ€™m certainly not a public media aficionado, but itโ€™s difficult to think of a single program offered by PBS or NPR that is indispensable to the public.) By that time, theย Federal Communications Commissionย had already allocated over 200 stations for โ€œnoncommercial educational television.โ€ย National Public Radioย was created in 1969. Since then, Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio have championed the American Leftโ€™s political and societal ideals.

By David Harsanyi

Read Full Article on WashingtonExaminer.com

Washington Examiner
Washington Examinerhttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/
The Washington Examiner brings news and analysis on politics, with news coverage, investigative reporting and commentary about Washington's latest exploits.

Columns

Big Tech Liberals are Using AI to Censor Conservatives

The Federal Trade Commission is gathering information to expose how technology platforms have violated the law in censoring Americans.

Unveiled: Gynocratsโ€™ Brave and Stunning Strategy to Woo Back Male Voters

Thereโ€™s nothing โ€” nothing โ€” that drives Democrats more bananas than...

Ship of Fools

A rudderless ship drifts with currents. A freighter with no pilot is stuck at the dock. Rudderless and stuck are perfect ways to describe the Democrat party.

Wolves Wreak Havoc on Cattle Herds in California

Descendants of rewilded wolves are taking heavy toll on cattle in Nor. CA and Oregon, killing animals and putting stress on cow-calf operations and pocketbooks.

Visiting Narnia with an Adultโ€™s Perspective

When you hear the word โ€œNarniaโ€ you might recollect a lion, a witch, and a wardrobe that takes kids into a magical land. Hmm . . . barely the gist of it.

News

Fedโ€™s Powell Says Interest Rate Decisions Will Be โ€˜Non-Politicalโ€™ in Meeting With Trump

Fed Res Chair Jerome Powell said decisions on interest rates would remain grounded in economic data and free from political influence.

FBI Director Says โ€˜Definitive Answerโ€™ Coming on Key Jan. 6 Question

FBI Dir Kash Patel said agency will attempt to produce answer on whether there were FBI agents or sources in crowd at U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Tariffs Temporarily Reinstated by Appeals Court, Reversing Lower Court Order

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower-court ruling that struck down President Donald Trumpโ€™s tariffs on a wide range of countries.

DeSantis Signs Gold Money Legislation Into Law

Gov. DeSantis signed โ€œtransactional goldโ€ legislation to help Floridians use precious metals in commerce and savings, to protect purchasing power from inflation.

Judge Extends Block on Trump Adminโ€™s Bid to Bar Foreign Students at Harvard

Federal judge will maintain a temporary block she placed on DHS revocation ofย Harvardโ€™s certification program allowing it to enroll foreign students.

White House Says Trade Policy Not Affected by Court Ruling, Has Other Tariff Authorities

WH press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a federal court ruling blocking the adminโ€™s global tariffs has not impacted President Trumpโ€™s trade agenda.

16 States File Lawsuit Against National Science Foundation for Ending DEI Support

Sixteen states are suing the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the agencyโ€™s recent actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies.

Overlooked Chemicals in Food May Threaten Your Health

Scientists are alarmed about threat to public health: synthetic chemicals from packaging and processing equipment contaminating the food supply.
spot_img

Related Articles