Congress Republicans brought PBS and NPR on Wednesday, accusing the largest public media networks of the institutional prejudice in a fiery hearing representing the latest Salvo against the American press by narrow allies.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greek, a Republican of Georgia, who organized the hearing-which he called “Anti-American Airwaves”-opened its observations, producing PBS and NPR as “Radical Left Chambers” published by the Introductors LGBTQ programming.
Both PBS and NPR leaders testified that these allegations were untrue, arguing that their stations served as a critical source of expensive information and educational planning for millions of Americans, even when NPR’s chief executive acknowledged the regret for the registration of Criticism.
Members of the Democratic Committee have ridiculed the process as a cynical excuse by the Republicans to broadcast a relative list of complaints against news media. Several Democrats have tried to shift the focus to Trump’s administration, saying the revelation that top security officials involved the Atlantic author in a group conversation planning a military operation.
Spokesman Stephen Lynch, a Democrat of Massachusetts, said Republican legislators would prefer to go after Big Bird by President Trump. “If shame was still one thing, this listening would be a shame,” he said.
The hearing, organized by a new Congress Subcommittee, which provides government efficiency, represented another front on one extra two months of unjustified media attacks in the media led by Trump’s administration and its allies.
The White House has prevented the Associated Press from monitoring certain events, the broken tradition, choosing the media that can participate in the Presidential Group and seek to disassemble the federal service that oversees America’s voice. The Federal Committee on Communications questioned the objectivity of the big news organizations and ordered research on PBS and NPR.
Public broadcasters and federal funds that have supported them have been targeted by Republican legislators for decades. In 1969, Fred Rogers, the star of the “Mister Rogers” neighborhood, filed before Congress to protest the cuts proposed by the Nixon administration.
On Wednesday, NPR and PBS executives defended their planning and value to listeners and spectators. They emphasized Community journalism that covers local sports teams and crop prices – often in rural areas with few other broadcasters – and favorite children’s performances such as “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Curious George”.
“There is nothing more American than PBS,” said Paula Kerger, PBS chief executive.
Mrs Greene took a confrontation from the beginning. He has baked Katherine Maher, NPR’s chief executive, for the social media positions he had written before becoming a leader of the public radio network, in which he described Mr Trump as “racist” and “social”. Mrs Maher said she regretted these positions and would not have written them today. “They were representing a time when I reflected something the president said and not who he is,” he said.
Ms Greene also reiterated allegations that journalists from the two broadcasting stakeholders had a story during the 2020 campaign on the content of Hunter Biden’s laptop. Mrs Maher, who was not running the NPR at that time, said that “our current editorial leadership believes it was a mistake, just like me.”
Republicans also mentioned the experience of Uri Berliner, a veteran NPR business author who supported an essay last year that his organization had been infused with liberal bias. The essay, published by the Free Press, became a cry for conservatives who were willing to strip the federal capital broadcasting. Mr Berliner resigned later.
Asked on Wednesday how he felt about the hearing of the day, Mr Berliner replied: “I don’t think the NPR should be removed, but I think it should reduce federal support and openly recognize its progressive orientation.”
The hearing fell wildly among the Democrats expressing a staunch support for the planning of children and the dark statements of Republicans about “propaganda” and the “communist agenda” that seemed to have been supported by the public media, which was “GREEN”. But there were moments of courtesy.
Spokesman Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, set a sign that wrote: “Fire Elon, Save Elmo”, referring to Elon Musk, the billionaire businessman who leads Mr Trump to shrink the magnitude of the federal government.
Elsewhere, spokesman Robert Garcia, a Democrat from California, sarcastically asked Ms Kerger if Elmo was a member of the Communist Party. (“Well, it’s a puppet,” he replied.
“Biscuits are sometimes food,” Ms Kerger replied.
Spokesman James Comer, Kedak’s Republican, recalled that he was based on his youth on local public radio for news while working as a farmer in a rural area of ​​his state. But today, he said, “I don’t even recognize the NPR anymore.” He asked why public media deserved the same level of government funding, given the plethora of digital news equipment now available to Americans, no matter where they live.
The government backed by the government for public broadcasting received $ 535 million in public funds for this year. Most of this money is spent on public radio and television stations across the country, with a small part of it going directly to NPR and PBS. Ms Maher said the NPR produced “impartial, non -profit facts based on facts” and that it had 43 million weekly users across the country. Mrs Kerger described PBS and planning and local news coverage as part of the community fabric.
The Pew research center said Monday that a survey this month showed that 43 % of adults believed that NPR and PBS should continue to receive federal funding. 24 % said Congress should remove these funds. And 33 % said they were not sure.
Towards the end of the hearing, spokesman Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, mentioned the testimony of Mr. Rogers of 1969 before Congress, arguing that quality educational planning was a cause that had to overcome political differences.
“Mr Rogers understood what we have forgotten in this country,” Mr Khanna said. “Some things are more valuable than money at a time when a country is polarized. I wish we had a little more empathy and care, and this is not a party issue.”
Robert Draper They contributed reports.
