NPR and PBS leaders announced on May 4th that they would challenge President Donald Trump's executive order to overthrow public subsidies in both organizations, saying it was 'blatantly illegal.' Trump signed the order on Thursday, which is said to be 'bias' in reporting broadcasters.
The CEOs of NPR and PBS stated They are looking for options to challenge the Trump administration following the President's executive order to obtain public funds to news and media organizations. Trump and Congressional Republicans have threatened to cut out funds in the organizations for months, along with both PBS and NPR heads testifying in front of the House Doge panel in March to defend their federal funds.
Patricia Harrison, the chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, said the White House had no legal authority among the companies, as the NPR pledged to challenge the order, calling it 'a face to the first amendment.' In March, Trump issued an executive order seeking to nominate the Voice of America (VOA)-another independent, government-funded fund that the president has long accused-but a judge has since been blocked.
US Media Media Unified to Prevent Trump's Suggested Fund
PBS CEO: The Trump administration will come to us in different ways
Paula Kerger: "This is different. They joined us in many different ways … So we have never seen an event like this, and obviously we are going to push back, because what's at risk … pic.twitter.com/ziwtgbwdxf
– Mr Producer (@richsement) May 4, 2025
NPR CEO Katherine Maherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger said they were both looking at legal options after Trump signed an executive order last week to break public subsidies for both organizations. They also explained why his order stood from previous attempts to cut off their government funding.
Maher said the potential reduction in funding will be hit by local stations and their listeners are the hardest, adding that NPR has 246 member organizations with classrooms in each state. PBS 'Kerger also added that Trump's' blatantly unlawful', issued in the middle of the night, threatened his media organization's ability to serve the American public with educational programming as it has been for more than five decades.
“We look at any options available to us … I think it's a bit initial for us to talk to the specific techniques we do.”
~ KATHERINE MAHER, CEO of NPR
Kerger also said the industry has not yet encountered an event like this, adding that both organizations are 'obviously' pushing 'very difficult' as US stations, public television, and public radio stations across the country are at risk.
Trump said he 'likes' i -Defund both NPR and PBS
Trump said on April 29th that he 'wanted' to -Defund both NPR and PBS, saying that the government was wasting a lot of money on the “whole group,” which was “very fair” and “very -sobias.” Trump and his allies continue to arrive after the NPR and PBS for what they are called 'a left-leaning bias' funded by the government. Trump tried several times to break the budget for public broadcasting in his first term, calling the NPR a 'liberal disinformation machine' last year.
Trump said the media landscape was filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options, and the government's funding of news media in this environment was obsolete, unnecessary, and eaten in the appearance of journalistic independence.
However, Maher's Maher said that public corporations public media are diligently defending their right to provide important news, information, and life-saving services to the American public. At the same time, the PBS Kerger pointed out that the US Media challenges Trump's recent executive order “using all the means available.”
The current administration has been-for months-the Associated Press (AP) from the occupation of the White House events, the media outlets, including the NPR and Politico, their traditional workplaces at the Pentagon, closed a voice-funded by the American government, and reopening the television networks in many cases In the promotion of “diversity, equivalent, and integration.”
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