Wyoming Public Media One Step Closer To Losing Funding

National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service, and Voice of America are facing calls for defunding or reform because of concerns about left-wing bias along with obsolescence.

President Trump has once again spoken of defunding them as have members of the new Congress.

Who listens to Voice Of America anymore?

The ratings for Public Radio & TV along with their web presence are at an all-time low.

These three services are also being called out for their biased news coverage and programming.

Politicians and those who have worked in the public broadcasting industry have criticized NPR, PBS, and VOA, claiming that they promote propaganda on the taxpayers’ dime.

On Jan. 21st, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, posted on X,

“Free people aren’t forced to pay for state-funded media. Stop making Americans fund leftist propaganda. Defund PBS & NPR.”

PBS has a longer history of being criticized for biased coverage.

NPR has also received backlash regarding its coverage.

Public radio and television came about during a time when there was not much for TV and Radio across the nation. Especially in rural states like Wyoming. Satellite and cable TV had not been invented, nor had the internet.

It was supposed to provide taxpayer-funded news, entertainment, and education to areas of the nation with little, if any, broadcasting.

But today we have more media, from many different sources, than the average person knows what to do with. So do we need a taxpayer-funded media outlet?

Critics complain that over the years Public Radio and TV have become more left-leaning, ignoring or even criticizing other viewpoints.

Even news stories on Wyoming's Public Radio website have an obvious bias in their reporting.

Under a second Trump administration, Elon Musk is once again calling to pull government subsidies from the platform.

To prove his point he shared a controversial video of NPR CEO Katherine Maher, who is less than a year into her tenure.

In the video, Maher says,

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.

With that comment, Elon Musk asks,

Should your tax dollars really be paying for an organization run by people who think the truth is a ‘distraction’?

NPR faced controversy when veteran editor Uri Berliner accused the outlet of blatant left-wing bias. Berliner also criticized Maher for having “divisive views” and resigned after 25 years with NPR. (SAR).

His departure sparked widespread media attention in April, with former President Donald Trump calling for NPR to be defunded, stating, “Not one dollar!” (SAR).

Trump is once again president-elect, raising questions about taxpayer money funding Public Media.

It's not like public radio and TV need taxpayer funding to exist.

NPR receives funding from donors, sponsors, and federal grants established by Congress in 1967.

Popular shows on public television, like Sesame Street rake in massive amounts of money for the network.

However, the network’s website warns that eliminating federal funding would result in “fewer programs and less journalism” and “eventually the loss of public radio stations.”