WHY THIS STORY MATTERS
Public broadcasting has become a political punching bag in recent years, with critics calling for its defunding, dismissing it as partisan, or spreading misunderstandings about what the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 actually does. This explainer lays out the most common criticisms and misconceptions, and addresses them with facts, not spin.
“Public broadcasting is just liberal propaganda.”
Fact: Public media is legally bound to be nonpartisan — and its trust scores reflect that.
- The Public Broadcasting Act prohibits editorial control by the government (47 U.S. Code § 396).
- CPB’s inspector general performs regular audits to ensure fairness and balance (CPB Office of Inspector General).
- Pew Research consistently finds NPR and PBS to be among the most trusted media outlets across political affiliations.
“It’s a waste of taxpayer money.”
Fact: The entire system costs about $1.40 per American per year (CPB Appropriations Overview).
- Less than a cheap cup of coffee — for a year of educational shows, civic news, emergency alerts, and children's programming.
- CPB funding supports over 1,500 local stations, many of which serve areas with no other local news source.
“We don’t need public media in the age of streaming and podcasts.”
Fact: Commercial platforms don’t replace free, universal, and local access to news and education.
- Netflix doesn’t cover school board meetings, local emergencies, or regional culture.
- Millions of Americans still rely on over-the-air broadcasting, especially in rural and low-income areas (FCC Broadband Deployment Report).
“The government shouldn’t subsidize free speech.”
Fact: The government funds access to information — not opinions.
- The First Amendment restricts control, not funding. Congress has long supported public speech via museums, libraries, and universities.
- Public media ensures that everyone, not just the wealthy or connected, has access to reliable, fact-based content.
“There’s no constitutional requirement to support public broadcasting.”
Fact: True — but Congress chose to fund it because an informed public is essential to democracy.
- The Public Broadcasting Act is a statutory law passed by Congress, not a constitutional obligation (Public Law 90-129).
- Congress has the power (under Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution) to invest in the general welfare, and public media is part of that mission.
“NPR has no conservatives on its editorial board.”
Fact: NPR hires journalists, not partisans. Conservative is not a job requirement — journalistic integrity is.
- Editorial roles are filled based on qualifications, not political quotas.
- NPR’s ethics guide requires balance, fairness, and transparency (NPR Ethics Handbook).
- Many stations carry conservative and faith-based programs locally, which public media's decentralized structure allows.
“CPB isn’t required to fund NPR, so why are tax dollars going there?”
Fact: CPB funds local stations — and they choose whether to carry NPR. While NPR does receive some federal funds indirectly via station programming fees, it reports that only about 1% of its budget comes directly from CPB (NPR Funding FAQ).
- CPB doesn’t write checks to NPR (CPB FAQ).
- Local stations receive CPB support and often choose to license programming from NPR because of its journalistic quality.
- Cutting CPB doesn’t just "cut NPR" — it would devastate local stations that rely on those funds to survive.
“I don’t want the government deciding what I can hear on my local radio station.”
Fact: It doesn’t. Your local public radio station is independently run.
- The Public Broadcasting Act intentionally created a buffer (the CPB) to keep government out of editorial decisions.
- Local stations choose their own programming, often blending national shows with regional content, based on what their communities need.
“CPB funding makes it state-run media.”
Fact: CPB funding supports independent media — the opposite of state-run.
- CPB is a nonprofit corporation, not a government agency.
- Its charter specifically prevents federal interference in content (47 U.S. Code § 396(g)(1)(A)).
- True "state-run media" answers to political leadership. Public broadcasting answers to the public.
THE BOTTOM LINE
The Public Broadcasting Act isn’t a relic of the past — it’s a firewall for truth in an era of misinformation, fragmentation, and disappearing local newsrooms. It doesn’t exist to push an agenda. It exists to ensure everyone has access to thoughtful, educational, and independent media. Cutting public media funding doesn’t just punish NPR or PBS — it silences thousands of local voices across the country.
And that’s something worth defending.
