The Metro: How Trump’s attack on public media threatens democracy and access to information
A vote to slash $1.1B from public media is looming. Media scholar Victor Pickard tells The Metro why it’s a threat to democracy, not just journalism.
The NPR headquarters at North Capitol Street in Washington, DC. Photo credit: Charles Dharapak, AP Photo
President Trump is taking direct aim at NPR and PBS—threatening to cut a billion-dollar lifeline from America’s public airwaves. He claims public media is biased and is pushing Congress to eliminate $1.1 billion in federal funding, with a vote expected this week.
Free speech advocates warn the stakes are high. Without this funding, millions could lose access to trusted news, emergency alerts, and a platform for civic engagement. Experts say this move echoes the slow erosion of press freedom seen in countries like Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela.
Victor Pickard, a media scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, joins The Metro today to explain why weakening public media weakens democracy.
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