During a House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, a contentious fight broke out. Public broadcasters fought vigorously to defend their funding and mission from a rightwing funded campaign. We have senior presidential adviser Elon Musk supporting this campaign. It claims that public media organizations such as NPR and PBS unfairly produce liberal content. The hearing was a spectacle of contradictory views. Fierce advocates, including leading opponents Marjorie Taylor Greene and Greg Casar delivered vituperative speeches on one of the most controversial issues.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) plays a vital role in funding locally owned public radio and television systems, allocating more than 70% of its budget to these stations. Despite its importance, public broadcasting has been under attack from conservative quarters who allege a liberal bias in its programming. This latest assault started last year, emboldened by claims of leftwing bias and anti-Trump sentiment during last year’s election.
NPR has permanently withdrawn from the platform X, formerly known as Twitter. This decision follows after Elon Musk got directly engaged in a right-wing campaign against the broadcaster. Musk—who is no stranger to extreme acts of criticism or intimidation against media outlets that engage in critical reporting—had previously made demands to defund public media. He sparred with NPR earlier in 2023 after Elon Musk bought Twitter and declared the public broadcaster “state-affiliated media.”
Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) expressed dismay that the hearing was so focused on unimportant distractions instead of serious issues.
"Leave Elmo alone, bring Elon in for questioning instead," he said.
When Marjorie Taylor Greene featured a grown man singing a cartoon children’s song, she called it “disgusting.” However, PBS CEO Paula Kerger clarified that the performer did not air on PBS but was part of a New York City affiliate station's digital project in collaboration with the city's department of education.
Ed Ulman, President and CEO of Alaska Public Media, emphasized the crucial role public broadcasters play in reaching rural communities and funding local news services. His poignant testimony underscored the vital role public media plays in reaching underserved communities.
This is not the first time Republicans have attempted to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting under conservative administrations. Each time, Congress has mercilessly shot these efforts down. The hearing is part of a longstanding rightwing campaign against public broadcasters, whom conservatives accuse of using government funding to produce liberally biased reports.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has been one of the loudest complainers in her denunciation of NPR and PBS.
"After listening to what we’ve heard today we will be calling for the complete and total defund and dismantling of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," she declared during the hearing.
Incredibly, this subcommittee hearing comes just as the Trump administration is now entering the third month of a full-scale attack on public broadcasters. Elon Musk embraces this idea, going after bad media in general, on a larger scale. Musk's involvement has amplified the campaign's reach on social media platforms like X.