Congress has approved Trump’s $1.1 billion in cuts to PBS and NPR – escalating their war on public media. This is funding that local PBS and NPR stations were counting on, and they’ll now have to cut their programming and staff to make up for it.

Americans don’t want this – polls show that public broadcasting is popular with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents alike. So why did MAGA fight so hard for these cuts? We’ll give you a hint: it’s not about the money. 

Estas redes sirven al pueblo, no al presidente

Time after time, Americans consistently rank PBS y Radio Pública Nacional as the most trustworthy networks for news and public affairs. 

That’s because they deliver free local news, quality programming, and fact-based independent journalism – without any corporate or political agendas, as they are required by law to be objective. Local news stations provide hard-hitting journalism that doesn’t just cater to advertisers or keep shareholders happy. 

Trump and his enablers know that the free, fair, and impartial journalism that PBS and NPR provide means it’s much harder to get away with their lies. They’d rather silence dissent, evade accountability, and replace the impartial truth with their cherry-picked narrative. 

Los estadounidenses comunes perderán un recurso vital

PBS y NPR ofrecen innumerables recursos públicos a personas de todo el país. Su pérdida podría afectar:

• Los niños que aprenden el abecedario, las formas y los colores con los programas de PBS, que llegan a más niños en viviendas de bajos ingresos que cualquier otra cadena de televisión infantil en un año.
• Los estadounidenses rurales, que conforman la la mayoría de los espectadores de PBS y dependen de la radiodifusión pública para las alertas de emergencia.
• El 36 millones de adultos que recurren a PBS cada mes en busca de periodismo basado en hechos.
• Rural communities that rely on public media as a crucial lifeline – often the broadcaster of last resort – in natural disasters and other emergencies.

Una prensa libre e independiente es fundamental para nuestra democracia.

Los estudios muestran que las democracias funcionan mejor cuando contamos con una fuerte financiación pública para las noticias independientes, garantizando así que todos los ciudadanos puedan acceder a una información rica y variada.

Durante décadas, PBS y NPR han cumplido esta promesa, incluso con mucha menos financiación pública en relación con otras democracias alrededor del mundo.

Thousands of Common Cause members spoke out – signing petitions, calling the House and Senate, and letting their elected representatives know how important public broadcasting is to them and to American democracy. A few brave lawmakers listened, but in the end, President Trump leaned hard on enough Republicans to fall in line.