Well, isn't this a delicious turn of events? For years, the folks over at NPR and PBS have been bending over backward to pretend they're not sucking at the government's teat, even throwing a massive tantrum when Elon Musk dared to label them as "government-funded media" on X. Remember that?
They stormed off the platform in a huff, acting like the very idea was some grave insult to their journalistic integrity. Fast forward to now, and Congress has finally pulled the plug on their federal handouts, slashing funding for NPR, PBS, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of a broader $9 billion spending cut. And get this: a former NPR bigwig is actually admitting that mixing taxpayer dollars with journalism was a total trainwreck all along.
“The fact is, this is done, the money is gone, the rescission has happened so my perspective now is let's move on,” Vivian Schiller, who used to run the show at NPR, revealed in a recent MSNBC interview. “Look in many cases, I have long believed that mixing journalism and federal funding is just a recipe for disaster, so in many ways I think this is an opportunity for a reset.”
Wait, what? After all the outrage and pearl-clutching over being called government-funded, now a former CEO is essentially saying, "Yeah, that was a bad idea from the start." It's almost like they've been caught with their hand in the cookie jar and are trying to spin it as a chance for personal growth.
Of course, the left is losing its collective mind over this. Leftist voices are screaming that defunding these outlets is tantamount to an assault on the free press, as if the First Amendment somehow guarantees a blank check from Uncle Sam. News flash: the Constitution protects against government interference in speech; it doesn’t mandate subsidizing biased reporting. And here’s the irony—these same people insist NPR and PBS aren’t “government-funded” when we criticize their content, but the second that funding is actually threatened, they howl like it’s the end of democracy.
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For decades, Republicans have been pushing to end this nonsense, only to hit roadblocks time and again. But with the recent rescission package sailing through Congress, it looks like persistence has paid off. Even President Trump couldn’t resist crowing about it, blasting out a message that Republicans had tried this for 40 years and finally succeeded. No more propping up these so-called public broadcasters with hard-earned taxpayer money.
In the end, this defunding isn't an attack on free speech—it's a defense of it. By removing the government's thumb from the scale, we're ensuring that journalism answers to the people, not the politicians. NPR and PBS will adapt, or they won't. Either way, the era of pretending they're not government-funded is over. And based on Schiller's own admission, that's probably for the best. Let's hope they take her advice and find that "better way forward" without dipping into our pockets.
The same voices who insisted they weren’t on the government dole are now screeching about “democracy under threat” the second the spigot shuts off. Join PJ Media VIP to support our efforts to hold these swamp creatures accountable. Grab your 60% discount on VIP access with code FIGHT—ditch the ads, join the conversation, and be part of the team that’s redefining what free press really means. Support fearless conservative journalism that puts America first.