NPR and three Colorado public radio stations have sued President Donald Trump and his administration over an executive order stripping away public funds for NPR and PBS.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier this month instructing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and other federal agencies “to cease Federal funding for NPR” and other public media outlets. NPR has vowed to challenge the order “by all means available,” and CEO Katherine Maher took action.
The radio stations joining NPR in the suit are Colorado Public Radio, Aspen Public Radio, and KSUT.
“The Executive Order is a clear violation of the Constitution and the First Amendment’s protections for freedom of speech and association, and freedom of the press. It is an affront to the rights of NPR and NPR’s 246 Member stations, which are locally owned, nonprofit, noncommercial media organizations serving all 50 states and territories. Today, we challenge its constitutionality in the nation’s independent courts,” Maher said in a lengthy statement.
“Public media was established to inform the American public and uphold American democratic values,” Maher continued. “The President’s Executive Order is directly counter to Congress’s long standing intent, as expressed in the Public Broadcasting Act, to foster vibrant institutions that achieve that mission, serving all Americans independent of political influence.”
The lawsuit names White House budget director Russel Vought, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Endowment for the Arts chair Maria Rosario Jackson as defendants, along with President Trump.
Maher said Trump “has repeatedly expressed his disapproval of editorial decisions reflected in programming offered by NPR and PBS,” and “disparaged NPR’s news and other content as ‘left-wing propaganda.’”
“His Executive Order states that our coverage is not ‘fair, accurate, or unbiased,’ building on prior statements making clear the President’s disapproval of NPR’s news coverage and editorial choices. The intent could not be more clear — the Executive Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes,” Maher said.
“This is retaliatory, viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has ruled numerous times over the past 80 years that the government does not have the right to determine what counts as ‘biased,’” she continued.” NPR will never agree to this infringement of our constitutional rights, or the constitutional rights of our Member stations, and NPR will not compromise our commitment to an independent free press and journalistic integrity.”
Maher said NPR has a First Amendment right to be “free from government attempts to control private speech as well as from retaliation aimed at punishing and chilling protected speech,” and believes the executive order “seeks to force NPR to adapt its journalistic standards and editorial choices to the preferences of the government if it is to continue to receive federal funding
NPR is asking for Trump’s executive order to be deemed unlawful and unconstitutional, along with reasonable costs, attorney’s fees and “any other relief that the Court deems just and proper.”
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If you are funded by the People of the United States, you cannot simply cover one side of the story. It has to be covered from a free and impartial point of view which has not been the case. Used to be good stations to listen to.
Screw that Leftist NPR! Defund them permanently. Let their far-Left audience fund them.
HW – ding ding ding winner winner chicken dinner! As stated by “Nunya” if the left wants to have a propaganda ‘voice’ they can either be ‘fair and balanced’ or as you note THEY can pay for it, not the taxpayers.
Scott Pelley just offered up the most “GROTESQUE” (to use his own word against him) commencement speech I have ever heard- This thing could have twisted even a straight slab of 2″ thick Steel into tight knots.
To quote his words EXACTLY…
“Power can rewrite history with grotesque, false narratives. They can make criminals heroes and heroes criminals. Power can change the definition of the words we use to describe reality.”
He is EXACTLY RIGHT with this narrative! POWER DOES re-write history, and Pelley HIMSELF yields HUGE POWER as he “RE-INTERPRETS” the TRUTH to fit the narrative of the fake news media’s adgenda.
As Pelley spoke, it was extremely hard to sit and listen, especially hard to keep a straight face, as the man laid bare the exact thing that they do EVERY NIGHT on the evening news and apply their narrative to those who lay out the TRUTH, plainly and tranparerently. THIS is their game plan.
This “tactic” is called “TRANSFERRANCE”. They have been doing this for the past 6 years aimed at Trump, and for DECADES to anyone who dared to expose and detail their plan and narrative for what it is… LIES and DECEIT !
Defund Fed grants to NPR then Privitize NPR to the market
All these outfits like to declare just how “independent” they are. Yet they claim to be dependent on taxpayer money in order to survive. They all want their handouts…are used to them…and don’t want to have to exist on their own. Calling themselves “public” doesn’t mean ALL the public. The taxpayer can’t be required to keep them in business. If they want to remain “public”, keep depending on the public to donate. I saw through them years ago and their news department was producing the most leftist-slanted news anywhere. My taxes should not support that political slant, when I don’t. In the past…if you needed support, just go to the government and get bailed out by the taxpayer. This should no longer be a solution. We have acted like taxpayer money is limitless, but a government debt of $30+ trillion shows just the opposite. When NPR sues the government, it is actually suing us, the taxpayer, because we no longer want to contribute handouts to their left-wing ranting. Go private or go away.