PBS, NPR Don't Respect 1st Amendment – Cut Their Funding

In 1971, Antonin Scalia was a lawyer in the Nixon administration. At the time, he wrote a memo warning that conservatives were "confronted with a long-range problem of significant social consequences — that is, the development of a government-funded broadcast system similar to the BBC."

In the memo, Scalia argued that it would be "politically difficult" to eliminate the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). This program distributes federal funding for PBS and NPR.

Considering our current fiscal crisis, our country cannot adequately fund federal anti-poverty programs unless we cut all non-essential spending, including CPB.

According to the Treasury Department, the national debt is $31.46 trillion. In 2022, our national debt was equal to 122% of our economy.

In fiscal year (FY) 2022, the federal government spent $6.27 trillion. This budget had a deficit of $1.38 trillion.

According to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the major categories in federal spending in 2022 were Social Security ($1.2 trillion), Medicare ($755 billion) and national defense ($765 billion).

Funding for CPB is minuscule by comparison. In December 2022, the Democrats in Congress voted to authorize funding to spend $525 million for the CPB for 2024.

Federal spending is out of control. We clearly need to get a hold of the situation.

In one of my favorite episodes of HBO's "Entourage," Ari Gold asked his former boss, and enemy, Terrance McQuewick, if he knew what he was "looking forward" to after he bought his company. McQuewick wanted to know.

Gold said, "Walking through this place Terminator-style and eradicating all the dead weight."

This is exactly what Republicans and Democrats should do if we are to help the people who need it the most.

Last week, Elon Musk described PBS and NPR as "government-funded media." In response, PBS and NPR left Twitter.

According to PBS, 15% of its revenue comes from the federal government and another 13% comes from state governments. According to NPR, in 2020, federal funding from the CPB was 8% of NPR's revenues while other government funding (federal, state, and local) was another 5%.

PBS and NPR are not worthy of public funding because they do not respect the First Amendment. For example, in November 2022, PBS canceled "FRONT ROW With Marc Rotterman." This decision was solely based on his politics.

In September 2022, Rotterman received an email from Kelly McCullen who is the director of original productions for PBS North Carolina (PBSNC). He wrote that Rotterman's show was "slipping farther and farther to the right and it's not necessary."

Rotterman had worked for decades as a successful Republican media consultant. In 2015, he switched careers and launched a public affairs show on PBSNC.

Rotterman has received high praise from Democrats in North Carolina for both the quality, and the tone, of the public debates on his show.

For example, Democrat Robert Reives, the current minority leader of North Carolina's House of Representatives, said, "FRONT ROW with Marc Rotterman offers North Carolinians a chance to watch spirited, weekly debate on topics that matter. The collegial atmosphere and the ability to have civil disagreements is sorely missing from politics today."

Rotterman sustained the show by building a base of sponsors. The show was seen by 2 million North Carolina households a year. That does not include online viewers or anyone who listened to the podcast.

Rotterman created a model for self-sufficiency for other shows to follow. In his magnum opus "Mishneh Torah," Maimonides wrote that the highest level of charity is helping a person to become self-sufficient.

Clearly, PBS North Carolina didn't care if its shows become self-sufficient.

In March 2023, Rotterman's attorney, Kieran Shanahan, filed a complaint with the Wake County Courts for PBS to explain why this show was canceled.

Rotterman is hopeful that this action will bring clarity and transparency to the issue.

The Republicans in North Carolina have supermajorities in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Republicans are now able to cut state funding to PBS and NPR in North Carolina.

According to PBS North Carolina, 31% of its funds in FY 2022 came from the state and another 12% came from the federal government. If NPR and PBS do not adopt the Rotterman model of self-sufficiency for their programs, there is no point in funding these programs.

If North Carolina's Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper vetoes the legislation, the Republicans have the votes to override it. The Republicans have maximum leverage to force PBSNC to provide full disclosure and end their censorship of conservatives.

The problem is that I'm not convinced that we can reform these institutions.

Because of our fiscal problems, as well as the long-standing liberal bias at these institutions, I think the era of "government-funded media" should end.

Robert Zapesochny is a researcher and writer whose work focuses on foreign affairs, national security and presidential history. He has been published in numerous outlets, including The American Spectator, the Washington Times, and The American Conservative. When he's not writing, Robert works for a medical research company in New York. Read Robert Zapesochny's Reports — More Here.