CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter welcomed NPR’s lawsuit “hitting back” at the Trump Administration on Tuesday as the outlet argues that removing their federal funding via executive order violates the First Amendment.
Stelter’s first swing at the matter came during The Situation Room when he reported, “NPR says in the suit, quote, "The executive order violated the expressed will of Congress and the First Amendment's bedrock guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of association and also threatens the existence of a public radio system that millions of Americans across the country rely upon."
CNN has the First Amendment right to be a liberally biased network, but NPR is required by law to maintain “strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature.”
Nevertheless, Stelter echoed NPR’s lawyers, who claim that it also has a First Amendment right to broadcast whatever it wants, “Now, Trump accused the networks of liberal bias. NPR denies that charge. But that charge is at the heart of this lawsuit. Basically, the White House reiterated that charge again this morning. But that is what the Theodore Boutrous, one of the lawyers hired by NPR to fight this attack, that's what they say is viewpoint discrimination. Boutrous told me just a few minutes ago that viewpoint discrimination is so clear in this case, because the White House is accusing NPR of bias, even though NPR denies that charge. So that's at the heart of this case. It's a First Amendment case. And it may not be the only one, Wolf. PBS has also been considering legal action, and it may follow up in the days to come."
NPR denying the charge doesn’t mean anything. If Fox News received federal funding, Stelter would not claim that self-assessments of neutrality were proof of neutrality.
Regardless, a few hours later, Stelter was back, this time on CNN News Central where he was more excited in his depictions of the suit, “NPR did not ask for this fight, but now that they're being attacked by the White House, they are hitting back. And this lawsuit is going to have ramifications possibly for PBS as well, because Trump is trying to strip funding both from NPR as well as its TV counterpart at PBS.”
Stelter did manage to provide a quote from White House spokesman Harrison Fields, “He says, outlets like NPR are, quote, ‘creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayer's dime. Therefore, the president is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding for NPR and PBS.’”
However, he did not seem convinced. After making the same viewpoint discrimination argument he made earlier, Stelter tried to boost NPR’s argument with third-party expertise, “Here's the Knight Institute, for example, saying, quote, ‘It's a bedrock principle of the First Amendment that the government may not censor speech or skew public debate by imposing punitive financial measures based on a speaker's viewpoint or editorial decisions.’ So the Knight Institute, other advocacy groups, they say NPR should prevail, but we'll find out what a judge thinks.”
Of course, there are experts on the other side as well, because if a judge does rule in Trump's favor, it does not mean the judge is anti-First Amendment, because if National Public Radio wants to change its name and continue doing the same old liberal programming, it can do so, but there is quite simply no First Amendment right to federal money.
Here are transcripts for the May 27 shows:
CNN The Situation Room
5/27/2025
11:45 AM ET
WOLF BLITZER: Also new this morning, NPR is now suing the Trump administration over the president's executive order to cut its federal funding. Several member stations joined the lawsuit, alleging Trump's actions are a clear violation of the First Amendment. The White House has targeted both NPR and its television counterpart, PBS, claiming they are biased.
I want to go to our chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, right now. First of all, Brian, tell us more about this lawsuit.
BRIAN STELTER: Yeah, Trump has tried several different maneuvers to take the public out of public broadcasting. Most recently, he signed an executive order demanding that NPR and PBS lose all the federal funding.
But here's the thing. That federal funding was included in a law that was passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump earlier this year. And yet Trump on May 1 signed this executive order. There's the title, Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media.
That is what he is trying to have happen. But NPR is suing to try to stop him. Here's part of the lawsuit's statement from earlier today.
NPR says in the suit, quote, "The executive order violated the expressed will of Congress and the First Amendment's bedrock guarantees of freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of association and also threatens the existence of a public radio system that millions of Americans across the country rely upon."
Now, Trump accused the networks of liberal bias. NPR denies that charge. But that charge is at the heart of this lawsuit. Basically, the White House reiterated that charge again this morning. But that is what the Theodore Boutrous, one of the lawyers hired by NPR to fight this attack, that's what they say is viewpoint discrimination. Boutrous told me just a few minutes ago that viewpoint discrimination is so clear in this case, because the White House is accusing NPR of bias, even though NPR denies that charge. So that's at the heart of this case. It's a First Amendment case. And it may not be the only one, Wolf. PBS has also been considering legal action, and it may follow up in the days to come.
***
CNN News Central
5/27/2025
3:50 PM ET
BRIANNA KEILAR: National Public Radio is suing the Trump administration, calling the president's attempt to cut its funding a clear violation of the Constitution. Several NPR member stations in Colorado joined the lawsuit, which says the administration's actions violate, quote, “the expressed will of Congress and the First Amendment's bedrock guarantees of freedom of speech.” Today's litigation follows an executive order the president signed earlier this month, instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to defund NPR and PBS for alleged bias in their reporting.
CNN's chief media analyst Brian Stelter is with us now. Brian, what can you tell us?
BRIAN STELTER: Yeah, NPR did not ask for this fight, but now that they're being attacked by the White House, they are hitting back. And this lawsuit is going to have ramifications possibly for PBS as well, because Trump is trying to strip funding both from NPR as well as its TV counterpart at PBS.
The White House's argument here, as has been expressed [technical difficulties] outlets are biased, they are favoring the left. Here's today's statement from White House spokesman Harrison Fields.
He says, outlets like NPR are, quote, “creating media to support a particular political party on the taxpayer's dime. Therefore, the president is exercising his lawful authority to limit funding for NPR and PBS.”
There is already litigation underway about whether Trump actually has this lawful authority, because the way that public broadcasting was set up by Congress in the 1960s, it was set up to make sure that no president could interfere in this way. So there are already legal battles underway on that side.
Now, here you have NPR saying it's a First Amendment violation. You might be wondering why, how is it a First Amendment violation? Well, it has to do with something called viewpoint discrimination.
I spoke with one of NPR's lawyers earlier today. They say that because the White House is alleging bias, which NPR denies, but because the White House is alleging bias, it's a form of viewpoint discrimination. And we've heard advocacy groups today take that position as well.
Here's the Knight Institute, for example, saying, quote, “It's a bedrock principle of the First Amendment that the government may not censor speech or skew public debate by imposing punitive financial measures based on a speaker's viewpoint or editorial decisions.”
So the Knight Institute, other advocacy groups, they say NPR should prevail, but we'll find out what a judge thinks.
