The heads of the nation’s prime public broadcasters confronted an intense grilling from lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over their retailers’ funding and editorial objectivity.
The Home Oversight Committee listening to got here as Republicans and allies of President Trump have assailed public media organizations NPR and PBS as too liberal in information protection whereas the published networks have come below heavy scrutiny from Trump’s FCC over their journalism and fundraising practices.
Listed below are 5 takeaways from the listening to.
Republicans lay out allegations of bias
Republicansled by committee chair Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) accused NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS president Paula Kerger of presiding over information organizations which are biased in opposition to conservatives and out of contact with giant swaths of People.
“People who listen to NPR are totally misinformed,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) stated throughout his questioning. “I have a problem with that because you get federal funds.”
Comer argued there’s much less of a spot for public radio and TV within the more and more internet-based media ecosystem and the federal authorities ought to make investments its cash elsewhere because it appears to chop prices.
“Because of technology today I don’t think there’s a role for public radio anymore,” he stated.
Greene and her fellow committee members accused the general public broadcasters of ignoring points necessary to Republican voters in information protection and catering to “wealthy white liberals.”
On a number of events, GOP members referenced a bombshell essay revealed by former NPR editor Uri Berliner final 12 months outlining what he described as was widespread liberal groupthink contained in the outlet.
Berliner was suspended from NPR over the essay and later resigned.
“We’re constantly making sure we are bringing forward a diversity of viewpoints,” Kerger, PBS’ chief for almost 20 years stated at one level throughout questioning.
However Republicans on the committee appeared largely unmoved.
NPR chief says ‘mistakes’ made in Hunter Biden, COVID protection
Maher confronted intense questioning from Republican members over NPR’s ignoring of the Hunter Biden laptop computer scandal throughout the 2020 election, and likewise its reporting on the origins of the coronavirus in China, and the investigation into President Trump’s ties to Russia throughout his first time period.
“You guys were 0-for-3 on three of the biggest stories in the country,” Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) exclaimed as he admonished the NPR chief.
Maher, the previous prime government at Wikipedia who joined NPR in 2024, conceded NPR’s protection or lack thereof on the laptop computer story, which Berliner had criticized, was a misstep.
“Our current editorial leadership believe that was a mistake, as do I,” she stated.
But Maher insisted NPR stays a good and goal reporting operation and pushed again on Berliner’s characterization of the outlet’s left-leaning bias.
“I’ve never seen any instance of political bias,” at NPR, she informed Jordan, pushing again on the Republican feedback that she fired Berliner over the op-ed. She additionally referred to as the revelations he revealed “concerning.”
Dems use Elmo, Large Chook to mock GOP questioning
Democrats largely sought to dismiss allegations of bias by PBS or NPR in opposition to conservatives and argued the broadcasters are deserving of federal {dollars} as a result of they supply helpful public service, significantly in rural native communities.
Lots of them used humor to mock GOP strains of assault in opposition to Maher and Kerger.
“Is Elmo now or has he ever been a member of the communist party,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) requested whereas his employees held an image of the furry Sesame Avenue creature up for the PBS boss. “I mean, he is red.”
“Well, he is a puppet,” Kerger joked again. “But no.”
Garcia later requested if the American authorities was “silencing pro-cookie voters” with makes an attempt to close down cookie monster, one other Sesame Avenue icon.
Democrats additionally made repeated reference to the controversy stemming from a Sign group chat utilized by U.S. Cupboard officers to debate conflict plans.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) referred to as Wednesday’s listening to “goofy” and blasted Republicans for making an attempt to distract from points just like the Sign controversy.
“Free speech is not about what ya’ll want somebody to say,” she stated. “And the fact that you want to shut down everybody that is not Fox News is bull—-. We need to stop playin’ because that’s what ya’ll are doin in here.”
NPR chief defends tweets blasting Trump
Maher’s social media posts earlier than she arrived at NPR criticizing President Trump and selling progressive viewpoints have been one other main point of interest throughout Wednesday’s listening to.
When pressed by Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) about her feedback, Maher stated the social media posts, during which she referred to as Trump a “racist” and “deranged,” didn’t come up when she interviewed to be NPR’s prime government.
“There is strong firewall between me and the newsroom,” Maher insisted, noting her political pondering and private worldview have modified lately.
“I regret those tweets; I would not tweet them again today,” she later stated throughout a subsequent grilling from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) “I don’t presume that anyone is a racist.”
Maher on a couple of event stated she “respected” lawmaker issues and promised NPR is doing extra below her watch to “beef up our editorial standards” and “make sure we have more points of view reflected in every story.”
Committee requires DOGE to dismantle CPB
All through the listening to, Republicans made common reference to the U.S. debt and argued funding public broadcasters are a waste of taxpayer cash.
Maher testified NPR took in additional than $11 million in federal funding final 12 months whereas a number of GOP members dinged her over a fundraising blast the outlet despatched to donors earlier than Wednesday’s listening to.
“We recognize the limited resources of the federal government,” Kerger stated as she was being questioned by Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri), who later requested if Social Safety or public broadcasting was extra necessary to senior residents.
“I don’t think they should get a penny,” Comer exclaimed on the finish of his questioning.
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) informed the 2 public media executives that a lot of the content material they broadcast is “garbage” and vowed to “spend as much of my time to making sure you never get another dollar.”
Greene, the committee’s chairwoman, indicated she plans to suggest to the administration’s newly created division of presidency effectivity that the company for public broadcasting be completely abolished.
“The [CPB] is using taxpayer dollars to actively suppress the truth and produce some of the most ludicrous content,” she stated. “Every single day private businesses operate without government funding. You all can hate us on your own dime.”
