ROSEN: Left-leaning public media would survive without tax subsidies

President Trump’s recent executive order to cut off the federal subsidy for NPR and PBS generated a storm of outrage from the left.  Predictably, the usual suspects staged demonstrations and NPR, PBS and Democrats have counterattacked with lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of Trump’s order.

NPR and PBS aren’t identical twins.  So, let’s call them fraternal twins in their common political and cultural mentality and the leftist bias they spread on a daily basis on their political and cultural broadcast platforms.

They falsely claim this is a First Amendment issue about free speech.  To borrow a Joe Bidenism, “that’s malarky.” If the twins are denied taxpayer dollars, they’d still be free to broadcast their progressive and woke propaganda over the airwaves, just without taxpayer dollars.  For Democrats and the left, defending the twins isn’t a matter of principle or the law, it’s strictly a matter of political self-interest protecting their propaganda megaphones.  And the government connection allows the twins to claim they are duty bound to be ideologically and politically balanced.  Given their glaring liberal bias, they’re both guilty of dereliction of that duty.

NPR’s news, analysis and opinion programs are mostly unlistenable for conservatives, Republicans and open-minded independents on shows like “Morning Editon” and especially “All (leftist) Things Considered,” which NPR boasts is “the most listened to afternoon radio program in the country,” which Democrats savor.  Uri Berliner a former business editor for NPR resigned last year after publicly criticizing the network’s news coverage as reflecting a “rigid progressive ideology,” with editorial positions in the D.C. area filled by 87 registered Democrats and 0 Republicans.

PBS’s programming is less political than NPR’s although still left-leaning.  But most of its drama and entertainment offerings are excellent and enjoyed by conservatives and liberals alike, such as “Masterpiece Theater, ” with series like “Downton Abbey,” “Wolf Hall,” and “All Creatures Great and Small.”

The doomsday predictions about the death of NPR and PBS and the end of classical music broadcasting are laughable.  Even if their federal subsidies ― which constitute a relatively small share of their revenues ― were eliminated, the twins would still exist.  Contributions and membership fees from their faithful listeners would continue and likely increase.  Any void would easily be filled by leftist foundations, corporations, activist groups, labor unions, Democrats, or George Soros who value this broadcast platform far too much to let it die.

In  1961, FCC Chairman Newton Minow famously declared that TV programming was a  “vast wasteland” of senseless violence, mindless comedy and offensive advertising.  That ultimately provided an excuse for government to subsidize programming that people ought to watch through the Public Broadcasting Act passed by Congress in 1967 creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which remains the banker of PBS and NPR, founded in 1970.

But 1970 was more than half a century ago.  Back then your TV set had maybe ten  channels, and Cable TV was just getting started. People didn’t have personal computers or smart phones, no iPads, no Internet, no podcasts, and no social media.  (We did have libraries.)  Today, with satellites and streaming, there are limitless outlets to hear or watch quality content; virtually anything from news, to opinion, to entertainment, classical music, etc. along with an even “vaster  wasteland” of crap.  There’s no need or justification for government to subsidize any of this or NPR, PBS and CPB.

Among Trump’s barrage of executive orders, those that pertain strictly to the executive branch have generally withstood challenges in court.  This one, while objectively warranted as a public policy issue, may well be struck down by the courts since NPR, PBS and CPB were created by an act of Congress.  In that event, Congress could defund all of those through legislation.  Unfortunately, that’s unlikely.  With a slim Republican majority in both houses, Democrats would likely kill the bill with a Senate filibuster, and Republicans lack the 60 votes required to overcome that.  But as I’ve explained, even if Congress were to pass such legislation, NPR and PBS would still be on the air.

Based on the outcome of the last election, arguably a great part of the public recognizes and objects to the leftist bias of the news and opinion elements of NPR and PBS. On principle, a quote from Thomas Jefferson applies to this issue: “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical.”  That justifies removing NPR, PBS and CPB from the taxpayers’ teat.

Longtime KOA radio talk host and columnist for the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News Mike Rosen now writes for CompleteColorado.com.