PBS sues Trump administration for defunding the network
PBS has filed a lawsuit against the Trump management in response to an executive order signed by President Trump on May 1, which seeks to defund public media by instructing the Corporation for Public broadcasting to cancel existing and future funding for NPR and PBS. The administration justified this decision by claiming that both organizations promote biased media coverage. PBS argues that this move violates their First Amendment rights and breaches the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. In its court filings,PBS described the executive order as an unprecedented attack that threatens the very existence of public television. PBS maintains that its programming aligns with congressional mandates and highlights its successful shows, asserting that the president should not dictate the content it produces. The institution’s leadership decided to pursue legal action after careful consideration to protect the editorial independence and autonomy of PBS and its member stations.The lawsuit follows a similar action taken by NPR against the administration on related claims.
PBS sues Trump administration for defunding the network
PBS sued the Trump administration on Friday over the president’s move to defund public media.
In an executive order signed May 1, President Donald Trump ordered the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to “cancel existing direct funding to the maximum extent allowed by law and shall decline to provide future funding” to NPR and PBS, arguing they were supporting biased media coverage. PBS alleged that Trump violated their First Amendment rights with the cut and violated the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.
In a Washington court filing, lawyers for PBS described the executive order as an “unprecedented presidential directive attacking PBS and its member stations… in a manner that will upend public television.”
It argued its broadcasting was “Consistent with Congress’s mandate and funding,” boasting successful programs like Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, NOVA, Frontline, and documentarian Ken Burns’s acclaimed films.
It disputed Trump’s characterization of the network as partisan and biased, but asserted, “regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS’s programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.”
A PBS spokesperson said the decision to sue was only taken after much deliberation.
“After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television’s editorial independence and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations,” a PBS spokesperson told The Washington Post.
In his May 1 executive order, Trump said the CPB should “fund only fair, accurate, unbiased, and nonpartisan news coverage” and that NPR and PBS do not fit that standard.
“The CPB fails to abide by these principles to the extent it subsidizes NPR and PBS. Which viewpoints NPR and PBS promote does not matter. What does matter is that neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens,” the order read.
He also argued that the media landscape is unrecognizable from 1967, when the CPB was created, making it “outdated.”
“Unlike in 1967, when the CPB was established, today the media landscape is filled with abundant, diverse, and innovative news options. Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” the order said.
TRUMP CUTS FEDERAL FUNDING FOR NPR AND PBS OVER ‘BIASED’ COVERAGE
PBS CEO Paula Kerger said last month that roughly 15% of its budget comes from federal funding, compared to less than 1% for NPR.
NPR also sued the Trump administration on similar grounds earlier this month.
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