US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order directing the cessation of all federal funding to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR), alleging biased and partisan news coverage by the organisations.
The order, issued on Thursday evening, instructs the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes funding to PBS and NPR stations, to “cease direct funding” to these entities “to the maximum extent allowed by law” and to “decline to provide future funding.”
The White House has argued that federal funding for news media is “not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” citing the increasingly “diverse” media landscape.
The executive order states, “Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”
However, the CPB’s budget has already been approved by Congress through 2027, potentially complicating the immediate implementation of the order. The BBC has reached out to NPR and PBS for comment.
NPR estimates that over 40 million Americans listen to its public radio broadcasts each week, while PBS reports 36 million monthly viewers of its local television stations. NPR’s director, Katherine Maher, stated in March that the radio station was projected to receive approximately $120 million from the CPB in 2025, representing less than 5% of its total budget.
Both organisations have previously warned that President Trump’s efforts to cut funding could have a “devastating impact” on those who rely on them for credible news, particularly during emergencies.
Media rights group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has expressed concern over “an alarming deterioration in press freedom” in the United States under President Trump, highlighting “unprecedented” challenges for independent journalists globally.
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