Tag: npr

NPR Complains Trump Budget Cuts Hurt a Kansas College, Turns Out It’s a “Dropout Factory” with a Prior 9% Graduation Rate

It should come as no surprise that National Public Radio has been propagandizing its aging leftist listeners against the Trump budget cuts, highlighting supposed abuses.

One such recent example is a profile of the Women’s Basketball team at Haskell University, a small college for Native Americans in Kansas. The coverage of the controversy complains about an alleged quarter of its staff who are laid off because they are probationary employees of the federal government.

NPR’s coverage of the University highlights its positives, but omits key details and context that would give its readers a better perspective on why these cuts might be in the best interests of taxpayers and even the students involved.

A lawsuit has been filed to force Trump to fund the Indian college. The federal government funds the college as part of an 1884 Indian treaty.

The case is styled as Pueblo of Isleta et. al v. Secretary of the Department of the Interior, et. al, case number 1:25-cv-00696-AHA  . The student plaintiffs are Ella Bowen, Kaiya Brown, Danielle Ledesma, Victor Organista, and Aiyanna Tanyan. Their attorney is Matthew Lee Campbell of the Native American Rights Fund, out of Boulder, Colorado. Two other attorneys have applied to enter the case Pro Hac Vice: Jacqueline De Leon and Malia Gesuale. The case has been assigned to federal Judge Amir Ali, a 2024 Biden appointee.

The complaint primarily concerns the fact that the various Indian tribes were not consulted prior to the budget cuts.

NPR makes it seem like this is another step in the trail of tears for America’s native population.

“That it would be affected by these executive actions and cuts in budgets, you know, add it to the list of broken promises,” said Bo Schneider, a member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes, to National Public Radio.

The 54 page, 8 count legal complaint, which includes four students as plaintiffs, complains that they aren’t able to make progress towards their degrees.

However, public records and data suggest that few were likely to ever graduate, because the college has such an awful academic record that 9-30% of the students are likely to graduate.

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FCC’s Brendan Carr Advances Investigation into NPR, PBS Running ‘Prohibited’ Ads

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Brendan Carr advanced his investigation into NPR and PBS running “prohibited” commercials.

Carr ordered an investigation in early January into the taxpayer-funded NPR and PBS, believing the nonprofits are running commercials that they are barred from airing.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Carr wrote at the time. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”

Public broadcasting stations are prohibited from running commercials, and instead they often air corporate underwriting spots, which cannot issue a “call to action” to urge listeners to purchase a product or service.

An FCC source said, at the end of last week, the agency sent out 15 letters of inquiry, two to NPR and PBS, and 13 letters to their affiliates, seeking to know more about their advertising and prospective underwriting practices.

Some of these stations include WETA, the Washington, DC, PBS station, WAMU, the American University NPR local affiliate in the D.C. area, and WNYC, a New York City NPR affiliate in the Big Apple.

“For my own part, I do not see a reason why Congress should continue sending taxpayer dollars to NPR and PBS given the changes in the media marketplace,” Carr continued.

This is not the only inquiry the FCC has taken since Carr has led the telecommunications regulatory agency.

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Republicans Introduce Bill to Defund ‘Liberal Propaganda’ National Public Radio

Conservatives have wanted to yank taxpayer funding for National Public Radio for years. Could it finally happen?

Two Republicans, one in the Senate and one in the House, have introduced a new bill that would accomplish this task, and in our current environment of cutting waste, fraud, and abuse, the time is right to strike.

Even liberal law professor Jonathan Turley recently said it was time to end NPR’s taxpayer funded gravy train.

The GOP needs to get this done.

Breitbart News reported:

Exclusive – Sen. Jim Banks, Rep. Kat Cammack Introduce Bill To Defund ‘Liberal Propaganda’ NPR

Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN) and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) believe American taxpayers shouldn’t be keeping National Public Radio (NPR) afloat.

The pair are introducing legislation in their respective chambers to put an end to taxpayer subsidizing of the notoriously left-leaning media outlet, Breitbart News learned exclusively Wednesday.

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund NPR’s liberal propaganda,” Banks told Breitbart News. “If NPR can’t stay afloat without government funding, that tells you all you need to know about the quality of their news.”

Banks’ Defund NPR Act would prohibit federal funding for National Public Radio by amending section 396 of the Communications Act so that no funds may, directly or indirectly, be made available to or used to support the National Public Radio, including through the payment of dues to or the purchase of programming from the organization.

Conservatives should not be forced to fund a news organization that does nothing but attack conservatives.

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Senator John Kennedy Blasts Continued Funding of “Public” Media NPR and PBS: “Gravy Train with Biscuit Wheels”

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) had harsh criticism for taxpayers funding “public” leftist propaganda outlets such as National Public Radio, the Corporation Public Broadcasting, and the Public Broadcasting System.

Kennedy called the scheme more just a “gravy train” but a “gravy train with biscuit wheels.”

In November, video footage of NPR CEO Katherine Maher from an August 2021 Ted Talk reappeared on X, sparking new debate over the taxpayer-funded broadcaster’s alleged bias.

In the 10-second clip, Maher questioned the role truth plays in the industry as the then-CEO of Wikimedia. She took over as CEO of NPR in March 2024.

Maher told the crowd, “I think our reverence for the truth might have become a bit of a distraction that is preventing us from finding consensus and getting important things done.”

Elon Musk weighed in on the video asking if taxpayer funds should be used for an organization headed by someone who thinks the truth is a “distraction.”

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DOGE Subcommittee Chair Rep. MTG Summons NPR and PBS Chiefs to Testify Over ‘Systemically Biased News Coverage’ Funded by Taxpayers

The leaders of NPR and PBS are set to be grilled on Capitol Hill as the newly formed Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), demands answers on why taxpayer dollars continue to fund these far-left media outlets.

Letters sent to NPR CEO Katherine Maher and PBS President Paula Kerger on Monday morning accused the outlets of producing blatantly biased content while still receiving millions in federal funding.

The move signals a direct challenge to what conservatives have long criticized as taxpayer-funded propaganda for the left.

In her letter to Maher, Rep. Greene highlighted NPR’s refusal to cover the Hunter Biden laptop scandal in 2020, citing the outlet’s now-infamous statement:

“We don’t want to waste our time on stories that are not really stories, and we don’t want to waste the listeners’ and readers’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.”

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Trump’s FCC Chair Launching Investigation of NPR and PBS, Taxpayer Funding Under Increased Scrutiny

Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under Trump, is launching an investigation of National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Both organizations are already facing the loss of taxpayer funding, but this investigation will increase pressure on lawmakers to pull that funding.

Conservative Americans have been calling for the defunding of NPR and PBS for years. There are countless examples of these organizations acting as surrogates for the Democrat party. They do not even try to appear politically balanced, even though they are funded in part by taxpayers.

FOX News reports:

Trump FCC chair targets NPR, PBS for investigation ahead of Congressional threats to defund

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) launched an investigation into media outlets PBS and National Public Radio (NPR) over member stations potentially airing “prohibited commercial advertisements,” according to a letter obtained by The New York Times.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials,” FCC chair Brendan Carr wrote, according to the Times. “In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements.”

The FCC allows businesses to support noncommercial radio and television stations — such as NPR, PBS or college radio stations — via on-air announcements known as underwriting sponsorships. The sponsorships, though similar to advertisements, face different FCC rules than typical TV or radio ads.

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BEYOND PARODY: NPR Reports That ‘Eco-Chaplains’ Are Helping People Process Their ‘Climate Grief’

National Public Radio has a new story out this week about ‘Eco-Chaplains’ who are apparently tasked with helping people work through their ‘climate grief’ whatever that is.

If you needed any further proof that Climate Change is a religion for the left, this is pretty much a confirmation.

Isn’t it great that our tax dollars subsidize this hard-hitting journalism?

FOX News reports:

‘Eco-chaplains’ are helping individuals process their ‘climate grief’: NPR report

A new spiritual movement is growing, one designed to help people deal with their negative feelings about the planet being threatened by climate change. That’s according to a report from NPR.

Dubbed “eco-chaplains,” these novel spiritual leaders are being trained to meet a growing need to address “grief, anxiety and burnout” over environmental problems.

“Today, there are chaplains working at the intersection of climate, grief and spirituality in the United States, Great Britain, Australia and Canada. Most develop their own ways of addressing the issue, from one-on-one therapy sessions to online climate grief circles and in-person support groups,” NPR reported.

The report noted how eco-chaplaincy is a 21st century invention, with less than 100 people believed to be practicing it in the western world. Multiple organizations have begun to train individuals in a type of eco-therapy “from Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and secular perspectives.”

How is this even real?

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Woke NPR CEO Katherine Maher Invited To Testify By House Committee For Alleged Biased Coverage

The House Energy and Commerce Committee issued an invitation on Tuesday to NPR CEO Katherine Maher, summoning her to address allegations of biased news coverage by the outlet.

The invitation came less than one month after NPR’s former senior editor, Uri Berliner, alleged that the outlet operates with a left-wing bias.

Resist The Mainstream reported last month that Berliner’s allegations have sent shockwaves through the news organization, sparking what insiders describe as “turmoil.”

ABC News reports that the committee will conduct a hearing, scheduled for May 8, to scrutinize NPR’s trajectory under Maher’s leadership, following her assumption of the role in March.

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NPR CEO calls First Amendment the ‘number one challenge’ in American journalism which makes it hard to crack down on ‘bad information’ and ‘influence peddlers

NPR’s new chief executive Katherine Maher called the First Amendment the ‘number one challenge’ in American journalism during a panel discussion.

Maher, 40, noted the First Amendment provides a ‘fairly robust protection of rights,’ making it ‘a little tricky to address some of the real challenges of where bad information comes from.’

These comments were made during an online panel discussion at the 360/Open Summit held by the Atlantic Council in 2021. 

The clip went viral after whistleblower editor Uri Berliner was suspended for speaking out about the outlet’s progressive bias the last week.

Berliner announced his resignation on Wednesday, stating, ‘I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems I cite in my Free Press essay.’

‘The number one challenge that we see here is, of course, the First Amendment in the United States,’ Maher said at the panel hosted by the Atlantic Council’s research lab, where she served as a nonresident senior fellow. 

According to the organization’s release, she discussed fighting censorship, addressing diversity and building trust based on her experience as the former CEO of Wikimedia, which owns Wikipedia. 

The clip has now gone viral on X, with Elon Musk reposting and saying, ‘This keeps getting crazier! The head of NPR hates the Constitution of the USA.’

Maher recently made national headlines after former NPR editor Berliner penned an open essay for The Free Press, where he slammed the outlet for being made up almost entirely of Democrats which he argued ‘lost America’s trust.’ 

Berliner claimed the publicly funded broadcaster became an activist organization obsessed with pushing progressive ideals.   

In response to the 25-year NPR veteran’s article, the network suspended him for five days for violating its policy of working or reporting for another outlet without permission, starting Friday. 

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New NPR CEO Gave Ted Talk Asserting “Truth” is a “Distraction”

New NPR CEO Katherine Maher gave a Ted Talk during which she asserted that “truth” is a “distraction” which is “getting in the way of getting things done.”

Calls are growing for NPR to have its government funding withdrawn after a series of tweets by Maher were uncovered in which she supported far-left causes, including endorsing racial reparations and making claims that the planet is “burning.”

But the content of the Ted Talk she gave is raising even more eyebrows.

Maher ludicrously suggested during the speech that far-left Wikipedia had a model “which actually works really well” in determining “what the truth really is.”

Acknowledging that Wikipedia writers are “not focused on the truth, they’re focused on something else, which is the best of what we can know right now,” Maher suggested the “truth” was not a priority.

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