US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to cut government funding for NPR and PBS.
The White House said that National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) receive millions from taxpayers to “spread radical, provocative propaganda disguised as ‘News’.”
The Trump administration also accuses NPR and PBS of fuelling “partisanship and left-wing propaganda,” which is a highly “inappropriate and improper use of taxpayer money.”
The broadcasters receive money from Congress through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which was created in 1967.
“Today’s media landscape is filled with numerous, diverse and innovative news opportunities. Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary, but destructive to the appearance of journalistic independence,” the executive order states.
With his executive order, Trump directed that “federal funding” for NPR and PBS be “terminated.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher and her counterpart at PBS have denied allegations of biased reporting. The PBS website is currently down.