Time is right to defund
@NPR &
@PBS
The federal government shouldn't subsidize biased national echo chambers masquerading as "public service." Here's why, backed by their own stats & reputable sources: 🧵
1/ Their original mission? Independent news free from ads. But they rely on mainstream sources (NYT, WaPo), importing left-leaning biases. Pew Research: NPR's audience skews heavily Democrat (31% Dems vs 11% GOP get news there). AllSides rates NPR "Lean Left." A Knight Foundation study found Americans see NPR/PBS as among the least biased, but empirical checks show liberal tilt.
2/ Federal funding? Minimal slice: Avg 8-10% for public radio budgets, 13% for NPR stations, 18% for PBS. NPR direct: <2%. They could pivot to donations/underwriting like before—CPB's own reports show resilience via private support.
3/ "Vital for local/rural news"? Myth. Only ~20% NPR content is local; PBS: 15-25%. Just 13 PBS stations do daily local news; ~200 NPR stations have local reporters out of 1,000 . Rural stations mostly rebroadcast national feeds—defunding impact? Minimal/negligible, per analyses: News deserts expand anyway, but public media isn't the fix; digital/commercial options fill gaps.
4/ Defenders cry "devastating" for rural areas, but stats show small stations (where fed $ is 30-50%) prioritize national over local. Pew: Only 24% Americans want cuts, but that's rising amid bias concerns. End subsidies—let them compete fairly. Save $535M FY2025 for real priorities.
#DefundNPR #DefundPBS #TaxpayerFirst