It was only a matter of time before President Donald Trump took action to end taxpayer funding for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). But while I agree the news stories and analyses at both skews left, they have not “fueled partisanship and left-wing propaganda” as his executive order states.
That’s propaganda to justify punishing news outlets willing to speak truth to his never-ending stream of lies.
Sen. Dan Sullivan wants rural Alaskans to believe he “understands that Alaska’s public radio stations are essential” to their communities. But although he didn’t repeat Trump entirely, he was wrong to accuse NPR of being “overtly partisan.”
In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve been a KTOO Summit Club member for more than 15 years. I previously served on its board of directors and volunteered to produce two monthly radio shows.
In April 2024, Uri Berliner, a senior business editor at NPR, published a scathing critique of the network on The Free Press. I agree with most of it.
As evidence of the network’s leftward drift, he referenced changes in the political makeup of NPR’s audience between 2011 and 2023. In both surveys, about a quarter of its listeners described themselves as middle of the road. But its liberal audience doubled while the number of conservatives dropped 50 percent.
Some of that change is likely due to the growth of ideological silos in the news media since 2011. And while that’s certainly contributed to the appearance of bias at NPR, it’s impossible to discuss it without addressing Trump’s crusade against what he despicably calls “fake news.” We don’t know how much of NPR’s conservative audience was lost because they had the journalistic integrity to stand up to him.
Consider the deportation case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Administration lawyers admit he was wrongly deported to El Salvador. Both NPR and Fox News correctly reported that the Supreme Court ruled the administration must facilitate his return to the U.S. and ensure he’s given his lawful right to due process.
When CNN’s Kaitlin Collins questioned Trump about it a few days later, he asked his staff to respond for him. They all misrepresented the facts of the case. When she challenged Trump again, he showed the total contempt he has for any news organization that won’t repeat his lies.
He asked her “Why don’t you just say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’ Why can’t you just say that?”
Two weeks later, the subject came up during an exclusive interview with ABC’s Terry Moran. Trump insisted Abrego Garcia had tattoos on his knuckles that proved he belonged to the MS-13 gang. Moran countered with the fact that the letters and numbers had been Photoshopped above the real tattoos.
Trump immediately started arguing with him. Moran tried to move on. Three times. Trump continued to insist he was right. He threw the “fake news” accusation at him. And ended by asking Moran “Why don’t you just say, ‘Yes, he does,’” have MS-13 tattooed on his knuckles.
During a “Meet the Press” interview with Kristen Welker that aired last weekend, Trump again disputed the Supreme Court ruling. And he trotted out his “fake news” complaints on six other issues.
But Welker continued to challenge any statement he made that was inaccurate or misleading.
“Every question is asked in a negative vein,” Trump whined. Then he told her she “should ask some positive things, like, ‘Sir, it’s amazing what you’ve done with gasoline,’” since prices are lower than during the past three summers.
These three episodes point to the main reason Trump wants to defund NPR and PBS. Even when faced with overwhelming evidence proving he’s wrong, he has a childish inability to admit it. And neither publicly owned station is willing to help him satisfy his unquenchable thirst for praise he hasn’t earned.
Sullivan should be embarrassed by the ignorance and immaturity the president is putting on display for the world to see. But he’ll never admit it. Instead, he’s probably wishing that the mainstream media, honest conservative writers at The Dispatch and The Bulwark, and local news organizations like the Empire will stop publishing anything that makes him and fellow congressional Republicans look like the pathetic sycophants they’ve become.
• Rich Moniak is a Juneau resident and retired civil engineer with more than 25 years of experience working in the public sector. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.
