Newspapers around the country have been calling it a “public emergency” for the decline in news subscriptions over the last several years.
Some news publications have gone so far and asked the government to come in and help fund journalism.
Despite allowing the marketplace to choose which news organizations can stand or fail on their own merits, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate have approved $535 million in funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in fiscal year 2026. The funding includes a two-year advance appropriation for public radio and television.
CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison applauded Congress for their bipartisan support of the “great value” delivered to the American people through public media. “Our trusted, nonpartisan, educational and informational content, provided to all Americans for free and commercial-free, helps inspire all citizens from our youngest to lifelong learners, and in the process, strengthens our civil society,” Harrison said.
In addition to the general funding, the budget includes $60 million for the public broadcasting interconnection system, which disseminates content across the public media system, including public safety and alerting messages.
Patrick Butler, President and CEO of America’s Public Television Stations, said approval of the funding recognizes “the critical role our local stations play” in communities across the country. “Working under the challenging constraints of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, Congress has made clear its enduring endorsement of our public service missions of education, public safety, and civic leadership,” he said.
She also thanked lawmakers for recognizing the importance of CPB’s “firewall that keeps public media nonpartisan and independent.”
While CPB claims to be independent, groups like the Media Research Center (MRC) say CPB is hardly independent and very much favors the views of the left.
MRC has been calling for the defunding of public radio and PBS.
Author
