.png)
2 hours ago
2 ARTICLE AD
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) wants the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify next month at a subcommittee hearing on alleged news bias at the outlets, whose stations are the primary recipients of federal funding.
Greene wrote letters to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger, asking them to testify before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
The subcommittee, which Greene shares, said in a statement, “NPR and PBS have repeatedly undermined public trust by ignoring stories that were damaging to the Biden Administration, dismissing genuine calls for balanced reporting, and pushing partisan coverage. As stewards of tax dollars, NPR and PBS have an obligation to provide objective and accurate coverage that serves all Americans.”
Last week, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched an investigation into NPR and PBS’s sponsorships while warning that the outlets were facing another battle over federal funding.
NPR said in a statement, “We welcome the opportunity to discuss the critical role of public media in delivering impartial, fact-based news and reporting to the American public.” The network noted that it has standards and ethics guidelines, a Public Editor to answer listener concerns and “a final review of the nearly 2,000 pieces of journalism aired or published by our newsroom every month.”
A spokesperson for PBS said, “PBS and our member stations are grateful to have bipartisan support in Congress, and our country. We’ve earned this support from decades of noncommercial and nonpartisan work in local communities: providing all Americans with content they trust; offering a broad range of stories and programs that help citizens understand our past and shape our future; and helping children and families open up worlds of possibilities through educational programming. We appreciate the opportunity to present to the committee how now, more than ever, the service PBS provides matters for our nation.”
Among other things, Greene cited an op ed from former NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner that was critical of the network for losing its “open minded spirit.” He wrote that the network had become an environment where “race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace,” while claiming that the network lacked viewpoint diversity. Berliner, however, wrote that “defunding isn’t the answer,” but that its journalism needed to change from within.
When it comes to PBS, Greene criticized the network for “incorrectly implying that Elon Musk made a fascist salute during President Trump’s inauguration celebration.” The salute, which Musk made twice, quickly generated attention online, with a number of commenters and other outlets noting that it resembled a Nazi salute. Anti Defamation League characterized it as an “awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute.” But in the days that followed, the organization did criticize Musk for making “highly offensive jokes that trivialize the Holocaust.” Musk also was criticized by Israel’s Holocaust memorial for comments he made when he addressed Germany’s far right party the following weekend.
Greene invited the CEOs to testify the week of March 3 or March 24.
