National Public Radio’s President and CEO Vivian Schiller simply gushed over President Obama’s proposed budget that preserved the funding for public broadcasting that House Republicans would just as soon cut. In expressing her gratitude to the White House, Ms. Schiller helped Republicans make their case.
Last week, House Republicans formally proposed zeroing out the $531 million federal subsidy for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), much of which is used to fund NPR stations and programming. Mr. Obama countered in his budget proposal with proposed increases in CPB funding out to 2014. NPR rushed out a statement praising the “vote of confidence” from the Obama administration, claiming that “public broadcasting is providing an essential service by informing and educating 170 million Americans every month,” a mission they claim “is more relevant than ever.”
Ms. Schiller’s love letter to the very partisan, extremely leftist Obama administration only served to reinforce the argument against such funding. NPR has faced growing criticism for a shocking level of bias in its news operations. This issue was brought dramatically into focus in October when NPR summarily fired longtime commentator Juan Williams for making allegedly anti-Muslim comments while appearing on Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor.” This maladroit move was followed in January by the forced resignation of NPR‘s senior vice president for news Ellen Weiss, who had fired Mr. Williams. Now a “grateful” Ms. Schiller is calling into question her organization’s ability to engage in critical coverage of the Obama White House or to give a fair shake to Republican leaders who want to end public broadcasting’s federal free ride.
Ms. Schiller has inadvertently drawn attention to the central point of the controversy. Public broadcasting cannot simultaneously be a creature of the state and serve the necessary Fourth Estate function as a government watchdog. So long as NPR draws from public coffers, its objectivity will be compromised. The cleanest and most compelling solution to this problem is to cut the subsidy completely. If federal largesse only makes up a fraction of NPR funding, as its defenders habitually maintain, it can easily be made up by other means such as private donations or by licensing PBS programming to cable and satellite stations. Perhaps a little market discipline would help NPR sharpen its operations and be more responsive to listeners. If public broadcasting’s mission is “more relevant than ever,” as Ms. Schiller asserts, it should be easy to find ways to keep it going. If not, it’s time to turn out the lights.
Read More: Washington Times
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It's incredible that NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller would proclaim non-partisan status for her organization after being forced to seek the resignation of her Senior Vice President for News after the latter was singled out for partisan practices . It's even more incredible that Obama would propose an INCREASE in funding for NPR following that debacle. What would be even more incredible than either of these events is if anyone in Congress actually believes Schiller or allows the increase in funding. Talk about pissing on one's leg and insisting that it's raining…
Vivian Schiller and her whole propaganda organization called NPR are nothing more than government whores just like the National endowment of the arts , and the FCC .
If PBS needs to exist, it can be supported by advertising just like all the rest of the media. Those who want it can pay for it. Our tax dollars don't need to go there.
Of course cut it, completely and forever. Save all that money and put it to use elsewhere. Why should senior citizens face cuts and liberal media get a raise? This would be insanity if it were not part of a political agenda.
To bad Mark Levin did not go nuclear before Obama got elected. There are two presidents in the White House, Obama and Michelle Obama. She is costing tax payers more money on her fat plan. To breast feed children and fast food restruants to cut the fat. The IRS must hire more agents.
Right-On Robert However March Is Travel Time For The Manchurian Pres Obama And Michelle Plus Her 20 So Staff Workers, Yikeess, Mark Levin Has It Right The Obamas Have Bankrupt The USA And Now They Will Fly Air Force One And Two Around The World, Yikeess, Looking For Jobs That He Has Lost In The Last Two Years. Cut-Up Those Chinnese Credit Cards And He Will Not Be Able To Get Out Of DC. God Bless America And Sarah Palin POTUS Soon.
PBS should take a hit like everyone else. I watch PBS though what I don't understand why do they have fund drives that they say bring the kind of programs you like to watch. Is it because someone is getting paid to much? Where is this money going 550 million dollars. Defund it know it is my tax dollar.
I guess PBS is now using the stuffed puppet suit animal people to try to convince congress
that Big Bird, Elmo, Ernie and Burt and all them characters are going to be unemployed and
starving and leave the kids nothing to watch!
The Obama Goons Of The Gimmie Crowd The Well Is Running Dry And The Tea Party Patriots Can No Longer Watch Our USA Go To The Dogs, Yippee, We Need More Than NPR And PBS To Foot Your Own Cost, Yippee, We Must Stop This Illegal Immigration And Enforce Our Borders South And North These Illegals Are Costing And Deleting Our Welfare (Obamas Stash) Funds. Yippee, There Will Be No Free Rides Starting 2012 Elections. God Bless America And John C. Drew PhD Award Winning Political Expert.