If you want to defund PBS and NPR, it’s an unfair fight. Public broadcasting uses all its own resources – including its taxpayer subsidies – to lobby for more taxpayer money. NPR station WBEZ in Chicago – which also owns the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper – sent an email titled “Stand up for public media — your voice matters.”
The graphic inside proclaimed “PROTECT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: Support public media.”
How is being forced to fund liberal opinions opposed to yours defined as "freedom of the press"?
One of our foremost messages at NewsBusters is conservatives also represent freedom of the press. Conservatives are also journalists, including those engaged in media criticism. "Public media" defines themselves as providers of "fact-based" information and seek to avoid conservative counterpoints, or as they put it, "excluding the voices that are just pure disinformation."
In the same vein, the leftist press do not in some essential way represent "democracy." Criticizing the way the press suppresses an opposing view is also democracy.
The author of this advocacy email is WBEZ CEO Melissa Bell (complete with "Pronouns: She/Her). Believe it or not, Bell came over to "public" radio last June from the leftist website Vox.com, which she co-founded with Ezra Klein. She began: "Public media’s vital role in our nation is being questioned, and the funding that supports WBEZ and other stations is at risk." It's a "threat"!
The Threat to Public Media
Public media strengthens civic life by delivering fact-based journalism, education and emergency information. As misinformation spreads and public trust declines, strong public media systems help foster informed discussion and civic engagement — while weakened ones leave communities more vulnerable to division and disinformation.
Now, public media faces a critical challenge. With federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) set to expire on March 14, Congress will soon decide its future. Cuts would impact stations like WBEZ and the communities that rely on us.
In bold type, Bell warned "Cutting CPB funding would dismantle a crucial system that reaches 99% of Americans with trusted programming and journalism." Most conservatives would disagree they're part of "99 percent" that relies on PBS or NPR for journalism.
What about the incredible leftist tilt? Bell only refers once to bias (alleged!):
Public media has historically had bipartisan support, but now its future hinges on Congress. Your voice matters. Chicago has always valued independent journalism and public service — we need your help again to let Congress know why they need to protect public media.
In recent weeks, the new administration has taken additional steps that threaten public media. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable, has launched an investigation into NPR’s underwriting program. NPR CEO Katherine Maher has been called to testify before a congressional subcommittee on Wednesday, March 26. Meanwhile, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has accused public media of producing “systematically biased content.” These efforts to discredit public media threaten our ability to inform and serve the public.
Then she tags listeners to do the leftist lobbying:
Take Action:
- Spread the word: Tell friends and family why WBEZ and public media matter.
- Let your voice be heard and share your thoughts online by leaving a comment.
- Share your story of what public media means to you on Instagram and tag @wbezchicago.
- Contact your representatives and urge them to support public media funding.
- Visit ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to send a letter to your representatives in seconds and for additional resources.
PS: Managing Editor Curtis Houck passed along that in his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania -- another town where the NPR station and the local newspaper are owned by the same company, Pennon -- CEO Ron Hetrick broke out the snobbery in an appeal for donations:
And, knowing how misinformation spreads like, well, wildfire in this internet age, you should turn to a reliable source for those details. Your local news organizations — staffed by journalists who are part of your community and understand its values, its concerns and its power structures — are that reliable source for facts delivered in a timely fashion.
Those news organizations, including Pennon, now face challenges in our information-saturated world. Because of the internet, people have come to expect to get information quickly — and for free. But while your uncle can post rumors on social media without spending a dollar, it costs money to deliver responsible, fact-based journalism.
