Opinion: Public media is a pillar of our communities — Congress must not defund it
KPBS headquarters on the San Diego State University Campus Photo courtesy of the station When Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina last fall Blue Ridge Constituents Radio leapt into action When cell amenity went down they kept reporting When power went out they switched to a backup generator When other reporters needed a place to work they opened their doors Broadcasting for hours or more each day and constantly updating their website Blue Ridge Citizens Radio became a crucial source of information for a devastated neighborhood At Knight Foundation where I m president and CEO we know that a well-informed masses is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy It s why the free press is guaranteed in our Constitution so that citizens have the information they need to make informed choices And it s why proposals to defund NPR and PBS and by extension thousands of population media stations across the country which deliver reliable news to their communities are not just misguided but dangerous Populace media is one of the meager civic institutions that still commands broad trust in an age of division and disinformation Nearly twice as various Americans backing continued federal funding for NPR and PBS as oppose it according to a evaluation conducted by Pew Research Center just last month The two populace broadcasters and the local stations that bring their services to communities large and small serve a unique and essential role delivering free fact-based news and educational content to everyone regardless of income or ZIP code Like Blue Ridge Residents Radio they provide the central sometimes life-saving information a group requirements In communities across the country inhabitants radio and television stations are reporting on the happenings at city hall holding school boards accountable spreading the word of local triumphs and helping residents understand the issues that affect their lives Critics argue that citizens broadcasting is biased But year after year surveys show that PBS is the the bulk trusted source of news in America more trusted than cable networks newspapers or social media And Pew s latest research manifested that twice as multiple Americans trust NPR as distrust it Both broadcasters are guided by strict editorial standards and bipartisan governance and they operate with remarkable efficiency The entire budget of the Corporation for Masses Broadcasting which oversees both PBS and NPR costs each American about That s less than one cup of coffee a year for an essential residents institution By law about of CPB s budget goes directly to local stations through annual society facility grants Nearly half of those grant recipients are classified as rural stations PBS reaches of lower-income families offering trusted educational offerings that commercial networks won t touch NPR s member stations reach more than million listeners each week including in communities that are otherwise news deserts And in an urgency from hurricanes like Helene to wildfires to robustness crises it s often a constituents station that stays on air and delivers critical updates Federal assistance helps make this practicable but it also acts as a force multiplier every dollar Congress allocates to residents media helps generate about eight more in private and philanthropic backing That kind of leverage is rare for any federal undertaking and it s part of what makes general broadcasting so resilient and responsive But federal endorsement matters largest part in small and rural communities where corporate and philanthropic promotion can be harder to come by and ruling body funding keeps those stations on the air At a time when a great number of local news sources are closing a populace station is in various places the last truly local newsroom Eliminate the funding and you silence local voices You shrink civic space You take away access to trusted information in communities that need it largest part This moment requires us to see clearly what s at stake The problem in local journalism the erosion of civic trust the proliferation of misinformation all of it points to a need for more funding in fact-based populace interest media not less The federal administration cannot fix the information emergency alone and philanthropies like Knight are actively engaged in finding solutions But the administration can and should continue to play a vital role in sustaining a media ecosystem that serves all Americans Population media is not perfect But it is irreplaceable At a time when Americans are desperate for institutions they can trust residents broadcasting continues to deliver with integrity with reach and with deep locality roots Congress should reject calls to defund NPR and PBS Not as a partisan declaration but as a commitment to democracy itself Maribel P rez Wadsworth is president and CEO of the John S and James L Knight Foundation Drawing on her experience as the former president of Gannett Media and publisher of USA In current times Wadsworth brings a well-honed commitment to Knight s mission of informing and engaging communities
