A House subcommittee hearing on Wednesday saw public media outlets NPR and PBS come under fire from Republicans, who accused them of biased reporting and promoting a “woke ideology.” Meanwhile, Democrats defended the organizations, dismissing the hearing as a political distraction from the controversy surrounding the Trump administration’s use of the Signal messaging app for sensitive communications.
Republican lawmakers argued that taxpayer-funded media should be abolished, asserting that NPR and PBS cater to a left-leaning audience and use federal dollars to shape narratives in favor of progressive viewpoints. Democrats, on the other hand, took a more lighthearted approach, questioning witnesses about Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Cookie Monster while condemning the hearing as a waste of time.
PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger and NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher pushed back against allegations of bias, emphasizing their adherence to journalistic standards. They highlighted the diverse audience they serve, including rural communities that rely on public media for educational and news programming, reported ABC News.
A focal point of the hearing was Maher’s past social media activity. Republican Rep. Brandon Gill grilled her over a tweet she posted on January 20, 2020, which read:
*’Yes, the North, yes all of us, yes America. Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt. Yes, reparations. Yes, on this day.’*
Gill accused Maher of advocating for reparations, a claim she initially denied. However, after the lawmaker read her tweet aloud, she clarified that she did not mean financial reparations but rather a broader acknowledgment of historical injustices. “I think it was just a reference to the idea that we all owe much to the people that came before us,” she explained, as noted on Daily Mail.
Earlier in the session, Maher also admitted that NPR had not provided adequate coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop story, a topic that has been a longstanding point of contention for conservatives. Her acknowledgment added fuel to Republican arguments that public media selectively reports on issues to benefit left-leaning narratives.
The hearing underscored the ongoing ideological battle over public media funding. While Republicans push for defunding NPR and PBS, arguing they serve as propaganda tools, Democrats maintain that these outlets play a crucial role in providing reliable journalism and educational content to millions of Americans. As the debate continues, the fate of public media funding remains a contentious issue in Washington.
I love the part where she lied to Rep. Brandon Gill about her reparations tweet in 2020.
Just be honest and fair, that's all people ask for.
— Frank Bojazi (@FrankBojazi) March 26, 2025
