{"id":2413992,"date":"2025-03-20T08:58:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T12:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taxpayer-funding-of-media-a-very-bad-idea-c-span-founder-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-03-20T08:58:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T12:58:02","slug":"taxpayer-funding-of-media-a-very-bad-idea-c-span-founder-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/taxpayer-funding-of-media-a-very-bad-idea-c-span-founder-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxpayer funding of media \u2018a very bad idea\u2019: C-SPAN founder &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftaxpayer-funding-of-media-a-very-bad-idea-c-span-founder-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2413992&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Taxpayer funding of media &lsquo;a very bad idea&rsquo;: C-SPAN founder<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2045657\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The founder of America&rsquo;s leading public affairs media network has issued a warning about government funding of news outlets: Don&rsquo;t do it.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/2054769\/great-moments-in-c-span-history-with-brian-lamb\/\" title=\"\">Brian Lamb,<\/a> who led the startup of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cspan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">C-SPAN<\/a> 46 years ago this month, said in a &ldquo;Founders Day&rdquo; special just released that he never considered asking for federal funding of the all-Congress cable network and warned that politicians would exert control in return for the support.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3353102\/younger-voters-minorities-foretell-breakup-us\/\">Younger voters, minorities foretell breakup of US<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3352510\/musk-wants-to-land-on-mars-by-2029-build-city-of-1-million-before-civilization-dies\/\">Musk wants to land on Mars by 2029, build city of 1 million before &#8216;civilization dies&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3351674\/democrats-poised-to-lose-youth-vote-for-decades\/\">Democrats poised to lose youth vote for &lsquo;decades&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;Not only never thought about it, I would have never been involved in it,&rdquo; Lamb said, adding, &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s a very bad idea to have a government institution fund media in any way. I&rsquo;ve always felt that way all my life.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Former Co-CEO Susan Swain, who joined Lamb in an interview with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3003369\/c-span-grabs-cnn-washington-chief-sam-feist-as-ceo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">C-SPAN CEO Sam Feist<\/a>, added that concerns about appearing to be a &ldquo;propaganda arm&rdquo; of the government drove the nonprofit network away from considering taxpayer support.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The most important reason is public trust,&rdquo; she told Feist. &ldquo;We never wanted the public to see this as a propaganda arm of the government. It&rsquo;s done by private industry, and people here who work for private industry, not for the government, making the editorial decisions. That&rsquo;s important.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The C SPAN Story FINAL REVIEW\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/p5fCsLAQ_zI?start=1444&amp;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>And, she added, federal funding can be unsteady depending on the fickleness of politicians. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re seeing great examples of what the government giveth, the government can taketh away,&rdquo; she said in apparent acknowledgment of current funding wars in Congress and the White House.<\/p>\n<p>The comments are made at a time when President Donald Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency are moving swiftly to cut funding to public media outlets, such as Voice of America, that they see as outdated. What&rsquo;s more, conservatives in Congress are targeting taxpayer funding for National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service, outlets they view as arms of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<p>While Lamb nor Swain mentioned those battles, their warning about taking tax dollars was clear, especially for an outlet that covers Congress. Lamb said C-SPAN felt that pressure when it started, even without federal funding.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Members of Congress wanted to tell us what to do, what hearings to cover, and we were ready for that. But if you&rsquo;re funded by them, then they think they can tell you what to do,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CONGRESS TRIVIA LOVERS:<br \/>Which former member of Congress was in 1963 Dallas motorcade when Kennedy was assassinated?<br \/>Find out in NEW episode C-SPAN <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/cspanradio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@cspanradio<\/a> podcast &#8220;The Weekly&#8221; &ndash; topic: experts trash Oliver Stone JFK conspiracy movie.<br \/>NOW on top here: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/23qcVt5lY9\">https:\/\/t.co\/23qcVt5lY9<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UZkMRYEW4L\">pic.twitter.com\/UZkMRYEW4L<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HowardMortman\/status\/1902684026936152470?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>    <\/p>\n<p>For students of Congress and the media, Feist&rsquo;s hourlong interview is a gold mine of information about how C-SPAN was created and its most historic moments, from covering the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court nomination to presidential interviews.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SEE THE LATEST POLITICAL NEWS AND BUZZ FROM WASHINGTON SECRETS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Created by cable TV even before CNN came on the air and started without any of its own cameras, the network is now a staple on cable and satellite and has expanded to the internet and into streaming services, all while continuing its mission to provide both sides of a story without a political filter and bias.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;C-SPAN is viewed, really, as the most nonpartisan news and media outlet in America,&rdquo; said Feist, CNN&rsquo;s former Washington bureau chief.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2045657\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2045657\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taxpayer funding of media \u2018a very bad idea\u2019: C-SPAN founder The founder of America\u2019s leading public affairs media network has issued a warning about government funding of news outlets: Don\u2019t do it. Brian Lamb, who led the startup of C-SPAN 46 years ago this month, said in a \u201cFounders Day\u201d special just released that he<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2647,"featured_media":2413993,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image001.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2413992","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/image001.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2413992"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2413992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2413993"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2413992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2413992"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2413992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}