NPR CEO Katherine Maher vents 'deep frustration' over GOP cuts, says it will continue to operate
NPR CEO Katherine Maher expressed "deep frustration" in a new interview upon seeing the passage of the Trump administration’s rescissions package that pulled her organization's federal funding, but she vowed NPR would continue to operate.
Republicans in the Senate and House narrowly passed the rescissions package last week that yanked over $1 billion in federal broadcast funding for the fiscal year.
"Throughout this process, the political rhetoric has been about punishing NPR (and PBS) for editorial and programming decisions. But the reality is that NPR receives less than half of one percent of all federal funds for public broadcasting. More than 70% goes directly to local stations," Maher told Status.
"Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties continuously acknowledge—in public and private—how important their local stations are to their constituents. In this sense, it’s a bit like Congress itself," she continued. "The institution may have low approval ratings, but people generally approve of their local representatives. This eviscerates funding for those independent, community-based stations. And for what purpose? Scoring political points by saying you voted against NPR and PBS."
Maher admitted the cuts are a "big hit" for NPR, and local member stations in rural areas will be rocked.
"I expect you’ll see nearly immediate loss of universal coverage in hard-to-reach parts of the country, as well as layoffs of journalists covering local and state news," Maher told Status.
NPR CEO WARNS STAFF 'TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF CHANGE' COMING IF FEDERAL FUNDING YANKED
"The loss of funding may make it impossible for local stations in places like rural Alaska and Appalachia to continue to operate—stations that receive as much as 70% of their budget from federal funds. Stations like these are already pulling shutdown plans out of their desks," Maher added, adding NPR had committed to reduce its operating budget by $8 million.
Trump's multibillion-dollar clawback package teed up cuts to "woke" spending on foreign aid programs and NPR and PBS, as Republicans finally yanked federal money from public news outlets in a move advocates said was long overdue.
Maher, who has espoused liberal views and preferences in past remarks and social media postings, has repeatedly denied the notion that NPR is "woke" or biased and believes the vote was "about politics and power."
"We can have real, substantive policy debates about federal funding for public media. I recognize that’s a matter of legitimate political disagreement—how big the government should be, or what the government should and shouldn’t fund," Maher told Status.
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"This argument about public media being ‘biased’ is a stalking horse. We report on soybean farmers and LGBTQ activism. We report on coal miners and eco-warriors," she continued. "Having non-White voices and perspectives on air does not make us woke. Covering the existence of disagreement and difference in our country does not make us biased. It makes us reflective of the complex, diverse nation we serve."
Maher said NPR would "take a moment to mourn" and ultimately move forward.
Ex-NPR editor Uri Berliner roasted the outlet last year over its biased coverage on such issues as COVID-19, Hunter Biden's laptop and the Russiagate saga. He soon after resigned and joined The Free Press.