{"id":2463692,"date":"2025-07-18T18:02:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T22:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-bad-week-for-democrat-friendly-media-with-public-broadcasting-cuts-colbert-cancellation\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T18:06:29","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T22:06:29","slug":"a-bad-week-for-democrat-friendly-media-with-public-broadcasting-cuts-colbert-cancellation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/a-bad-week-for-democrat-friendly-media-with-public-broadcasting-cuts-colbert-cancellation\/","title":{"rendered":"A bad week for Democrat-friendly media with public broadcasting cuts, Colbert cancellation"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fa-bad-week-for-democrat-friendly-media-with-public-broadcasting-cuts-colbert-cancellation%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=2463692&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>The article discusses recent setbacks for media outlets traditionally favored by Democrats, highlighting two major events: the federal government&#8217;s approval of notable budget cuts totaling $1.1 billion to public broadcasters NPR and PBS, and CBS&#8217;s declaration that it will cancel &#8220;The Late Show with Stephen Colbert&#8221; in May 2026.These moves represent a blow to liberal-leaning media platforms that have long received criticism from Republicans for their perceived political bias.<\/p>\n<p>Stephen Colbert&#8217;s show, emblematic of the leftward trend in late-night television, is ending amid speculation that his cancellation may be linked to a feud involving former President Donald Trump and CBS&#8217;s parent company. Democrats lament the loss, as Colbert was a prominent voice of progressive commentary blended with satire. Similarly, NPR and PBS, known for their liberal audiences and programming, face funding reductions after decades of Republican efforts to cut public broadcasting budgets, despite their claims to serve bipartisan interests and underserved rural communities.<\/p>\n<p>The article also explores the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/live-thread-as-layoffs-happen-at-media-matters-this-is-a-beautiful-day\/\" title=\"Live updates on Media Matters layoffs unfolding. Today marks a significant event\">broader media landscape<\/a>, noting how conservatives have dominated talk radio as the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine, while liberals have tended to prefer political commentary delivered through comedians or ostensibly neutral broadcasters rather than traditional partisan formats. It highlights shifts in late-night television&#8217;s political tone over decades and recent backlash against what some perceive as excessive &#8220;woke&#8221; messaging in comedy.<\/p>\n<p>these developments symbolize challenges for Democrat-kind media outlets, reflecting ongoing political battles over funding, influence, and the evolving preferences of their audiences in a changing media environment.  <\/p>\n<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\">A bad week for Democrat-friendly media with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/concerns-over-pbs-and-npr-funding-slashes-could-tank-house-rescissions-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Concerns over ... and ... ... slashes could tank House rescissions - Washington Examiner\">public broadcasting cuts<\/a> and Colbert cancellation<\/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_2174786\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Finding the <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2025\/05\/31\/liberal-joe-rogan-democrats-men\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">liberal Joe Rogan<\/a> became high-dollar Democrats&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2025\/05\/dems-quest-liberal-joe-rogan-money.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">white whale <\/a>after losing the 2024 presidential election, but this week, the party suffered setbacks with two reliable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">media<\/a> mouthpieces.<\/p>\n<p>Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3475403\/trump-doge-cuts-house-johnson-gop-divisions-epstein-votes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">passed a bill codifying DOGE cuts<\/a> that will excise $1.1 billion in federal funding for public broadcasters<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/npr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> NPR <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/pbs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">PBS<\/a>. Between the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3473443\/trump-doge-cuts-passes-senate-rescission\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Senate and House votes<\/a>, CBS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/entertainment\/3475213\/cbs-cancels-late-show-stephen-colbert-financial-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">announced<\/a> that it will cancel <em>The Late Show with Stephen Colbert <\/em>in May 2026.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3471498\/big-beautiful-billfold-trump-signature-law\/\">America&rsquo;s big, beautiful billfold: Trump now has to sell markets and voters on his signature law<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3473006\/investors-make-clear-trump-should-not-fire-jerome-powell-fed\/\">Don&#8217;t do it, Don! Investors make clear why Trump shouldn&#8217;t try to fire Fed Chairman Jerome Powell<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/business\/3474954\/northern-virginia-business-leaders-tariffs-doge-cuts\/\">Northern Virginia business leaders show confidence boost in face of tariffs and DOGE cuts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Colbert symbolized the leftward lurch of late-night television better than any other host, though others such as ABC&rsquo;s Jimmy Kimmel followed suit. PBS and especially NPR boasted heavily liberal audiences, and their political programming accordingly skewed left despite receiving taxpayer funding. Congressional Republicans have been trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/npr-pbs-defend-death-grip-on-funds-cite-lifesaving-services-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"..., ... defend death grip on funds, cite \u2018lifesaving services\u2019 - Washington Examiner\">defund public broadcasting<\/a> for decades.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic elected officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/siladityaray\/2025\/07\/18\/cbss-cancellation-of-colberts-late-show-called-out-by-democrats-and-trump-critics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lamented<\/a> Colbert&rsquo;s cancellation almost as much as the public broadcasting cuts, suspecting the host was a casualty of President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump<\/a>&lsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3463072\/trump-cbs-paramount-payment-lawsuit-skydance-merger\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">feud with CBS<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/3072599\/paramount-skydance-merger-entertainment-shake-up\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Paramount&rsquo;s proposed merger <\/a>with Skydance.<\/p>\n<p>Before the Democrats&rsquo; search for a liberal answer to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/joe-rogan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Rogan<\/a>, they looked at conservative dominance of talk radio after the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine and wondered where they could find a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/bresreports\/status\/1924842654610726940\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">liberal Rush Limbaugh<\/a>. They generally struggled with the format, with rare exceptions, such as comedian-turned-talk show host-turned-Minnesota Democratic Sen. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/al-franken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Al Franken<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Part of it was that liberals did not lack media voices that necessitated the creation of a talk radio-like subculture. The emergence of Fox News was in response to the perceived liberal tilt of the established broadcast networks&rsquo; news shows, though MSNBC moved to capture the progressive cable audience, and CNN slid leftward since Trump reached the pinnacle of national politics a decade ago. Republicans have been protesting liberal media bias since at least Barry Goldwater&rsquo;s 1964 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>But another important factor was that liberals liked their political commentary served either with the ironic detachment of a comedian or the clinical precision of a putatively neutral broadcaster. NPR was liberal talk radio, and Colbert or Samantha Bee were liberal Limbaughs, though they would surely reject the comparison.<\/p>\n<p>Liberals love the arts, and in their homes, the popular progressive conceit goes &mdash; they follow the science. They don&rsquo;t want overtly partisan sources, and for the most part, they don&rsquo;t need them.<\/p>\n<p>On Comedy Central, Colbert parodied conservative talking heads, most obviously Bill O&rsquo;Reilly, who was then on Fox News. But when he succeeded David Letterman on CBS&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/woke-comedy-manager-leaves-entertainment-industry-to-start-unsafe-space-podcast-after-seeing-the-light\/\" title=\"Woke Comedy Manager Leaves Entertainment Industry To Start \u2018Unsafe Space\u2019 Podcast After \u2018Seeing The Light\u2019\">late-night show<\/a>, he became more of a liberal version of the parody. He frequently did interviews with <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SenAdamSchiff\/status\/1945991349339042169\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Democratic politicians<\/a>, which wasn&rsquo;t exactly a way for half the country to unwind after a long day at work, and cringeworthy skits about things such as the COVID-19 vaccine.<\/p>\n<p>Letterman became more openly liberal himself over the years but was long able to conduct friendly interviews with longtime Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole, and he clearly admired the increasingly conservative comedian Norm MacDonald, who died in 2021. CBS is retiring <em>The Late Show <\/em>franchise with Colbert.<\/p>\n<p>The original titan of late night, Johnny Carson, was generally closed-mouth about his politics and interviewed newsmakers across the ideological spectrum. His successor, Jay Leno, mostly did the same, with rare exceptions such as his <a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/article\/2003\/10\/10\/leno-gets-flak-appearance-schwarzenegger-rally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">support<\/a> for Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger&rsquo;s gubernatorial campaign in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>The current <em>Tonight Show <\/em>host, Jimmy Fallon, elicited a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/05\/17\/arts\/television\/jimmy-fallon-tonight-show-interview-trump.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">fierce backlash <\/a>when he tried to follow this tradition and conducted a softball Trump interview. Leno was also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/archive\/leno-bias\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">panned<\/a> by many of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/10\/10\/us\/nbc-supports-the-politically-partisan-leno.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">same sources<\/a> for being <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/archive\/lifestyle\/2003\/10\/09\/the-recall-show-with-jay-leno\/313824f4-603b-4f22-8463-6032bbc7cc56\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">pro-Schwarzenegger<\/a> despite the then-California governor&rsquo;s status as an A-list Hollywood celebrity.<\/p>\n<p>But the criticism of partisanship in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >late-night hosts generally ran<\/a> in only one direction, and those hours became a mostly conservative-free zone. Combined with generational and technological changes in television viewing habits, however, this political slant also reduced these shows&rsquo; relevance.<\/p>\n<p>There has, in recent years, been pushback against woke sermonizing in comedy, where receiving applause for expressing the right political sentiments took precedence over making people laugh, though the trend hasn&rsquo;t completely died. Note the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/07\/17\/entertainment\/shane-gillis-espys-monologue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">commentary<\/a> about Shane Gillis&rsquo;s &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/the-view-hosts-react-to-shane-gillis-bombing-his-espys-monologue-11774199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">polarizing<\/a>&rdquo; ESPYs monologue, as if <em>The View <\/em>isn&rsquo;t polarizing itself. <em>The Cut <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/shane-gillis-caitlin-clark-wnba-joke-espys.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">asked<\/a>, &ldquo;Who let Shane Gillis talk about the WNBA?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3473870\/trump-maga-epstein-files-russia-like-hoax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>TRUMP STRUGGLES TO CONVINCE MAGA EPSTEIN FILES A RUSSIA-LIKE &lsquo;HOAX&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>NPR and PBS raised hackles more for receiving public funds while disproportionately representing one side of the political divide, though they did at least have a long-running show hosted by conservative icon William F. Buckley Jr., a series led by the free-market economist Milton Friedman, and a short-lived show hosted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tucker-carlson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Tucker Carlson<\/a>. In the weeks leading up to congressional votes on the rescission bill cutting their funding, the public broadcasters who were so attuned to their urban liberal audiences appealed to how indispensable they were to underserved rural communities.<\/p>\n<p>Rogan, like others in his orbit, actually was a liberal whom Democrats alienated with some of the elitist tendencies exhibited by Colbert and NPR. The decline of legacy media and taxpayer-subsidized outlets shielded from market competition could increase the urgency of winning those audiences back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><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_2174786\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2174786\"}});<\/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>Democrat media hit hard by funding cuts and Colbert end<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2659,"featured_media":2463693,"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\/07\/colbert-show-canceled.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[59440,59438,32490,59439],"class_list":["post-2463692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-colbert-cancellation","tag-democrat-friendly-media","tag-media-bias","tag-public-broadcasting-cuts"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/colbert-show-canceled.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463692","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\/2659"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2463692"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2463696,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2463692\/revisions\/2463696"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2463693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2463692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2463692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2463692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}