With the final elimination of public funds for national public radio as part of $ 9 billion savings package, the era of American state media will be technically eliminated. However, whatever the state does for media is not the state support alone.
Therefore, the state media is dead – state media for a long time.
That difference ofTraditional mourning cryThis week, the British monarchy will be heard whispering in Washington compared to announcements.
Government subsidies for NPR have been a subject of dispute for a long time. Many people opposed NPR for their open bias in reporting news, a record that thrilled the left and offended many people on the right. Just before the final vote, NPR CEO Catherine Maher Gave another interview It left many firefalls. He denied any such prejudice and asked if anyone could point to a single story that showed a political or ideological slant.
Ignoring the innumerable such examples, Maher again went to confusing confusion, saying that NPR was working hard to understand those criticisms, saying that NPR was working hard. “
For Maher, it was a little late in wonder or confusion, especially as a CEO whose selection was opposed by many of us to capture the struggling NPR. His bright and extreme prejudice did not look like a frank for the shrinking audience and revenue of the NPR. The board would have improved to select a neutral journalist. Instead, it doubled on prejudice.
In 2024, NPR had a window to actually “understand” and adjust the criticism. Instead, it considered government subsidy as an eligibility, which was supported by democratic members in Congress. The board would have improved to select a neutral journalist. Instead, it doubled, hired a candidate with a long record Public statements against Republican, Trump and others,
It is the same CEO who attacked the respected senior editor Uri Berliner when he tried to address NPR to address his bias and restore more balance on employees.Berliner notedThe Washington headquarters of NPR has 87 registered Democrats between its editors and the zero Republican.
Maher prepared the award-winning Berliner for his “different journalists, who work incredibly.” He called his criticism “deeply derogatory, hurt and condemnable.”
The Berliner resigned after noticeing how Maher’s “divisive views confirm a lot of problems in NPR” which he was pointing out.
But I have argued that the well -established bias of NPR and Publication of baseless conspiracy principles There are no real reasons for snatching your federal money. The truth is that, NPR represented an embrace of a state media model used in other countries, which fully reject Americans.
Maher strangely tried to support the rally for government money, stating that we should “keep the government out”. The Congress only did that by bringing back the funding of NPR.
The government has ever supported the media, but usually to benefit all media outlets. For example, in 1791, Madison announced that it was the Congress’s responsibility to improve the “circulation of newspapers through the entire body of the people” and sponsor the post office of 1791, which reduced the postal rate.
In particular, the same Democrats in the Congress who had reduced the decrease in funding for NPR, would have revolted on funding for more successful radio outlets such as Fox Radio. Actually, only a few members had first pushed to consider the cable carrier Dropping Fox NewsThe most popular cable news channel.
What the Congress did with NPR was wrong. Liberalists and Democrats fought a fight to protect funding, even though the shrinking audience of NPR is now heavy white, prosperous and liberal.
However, the end of government subsidy is not necessarily the end of an effective state media. As I noted in my book “Inevitable right“We have seen how the media can create an impact of the media with consent instead of force.
Over the years, media outlets have echoed the same party line, including burying negative stories and repeating the stories made. Real readers and listeners left the mainstream media in the draw. “Let’s go brandon” became ” A national mantra made fun of journalists Even for their disability to see and hear whether sightseeing and voices do not fit their pre -stories.
The way Maher has expressed confusion on how anyone can see NPR as biased, these editors and journalists will stick to the same advocacy journalism, Rejecting the principles of fairness and neutrality,
However, there is still a hope to restore traditional journalism: market.
Now that the NPR is away from public dole, it will have to compete considerably with audience and other radio outlets for revenue. It is free to separate most of the listeners who have a center-right approach, but it will have to maintain itself on the small portion of the market.
Other outlets are facing the same strict choice. Recently, the post encouraged writers and editors to leave if they were reluctantGo to board with a new directionIn the newspaper.
Earlier, Washington Post publisher and CEO Will Lewis told his authors that the newspaper was experiencing large -scale losses in readers and revenue because “no one is reading your belongings.” This triggered a rebellion on employees, which used to run paper in bankruptcy instead of returning to fairness and neutrality.
Stephen Colbert’s late night show was canceled and the same preference was seen. David letterman’s formidable program was a sharp Eco Chamber for a distance, as Colbert attached at night and most against Trump and Republican at night. As its rating and revenue fell, Colbert was precious. At the same time, Fox’s Greg Gutfeld continued Crush the competition As the audience left CBS and other broadcasting networks.
Second quarter of the year Rating Fox News’s “Gutfeld!” Average to attract three million audiences. Gutfeld’s more conservatives are unique among these late night shows.
In comparison, the “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert came in the second last quarter with an average. 2.42 million viewersDespite having a more expensive program.
As the liberals expressed displeasure over the cancellation and alleged that CBS owners, paramounts, were demanding a favor with the Trump administration, even CNN admitted that the show was “formed” under Colbert.Unfortunately,
Paramount issued a statement saying that Colbert’s cancellation was “not related to the show’s performance.” Probably, but media companies are rarely in the habit of canceling popular, popular programming.
Finally, the market is correcting what the media will not do. About half of this country is central-right, and 77 million people voted for Trump. They are turning to social media and new media, rather than that a biased heritage is committed to a prisoner media advocating journalism.
As media outlets fail, journalism schools may also have more pressure that social justice does not want to return to main principles rather than crank warriors, no one wants to read or listen.
Meanwhile, Maher and NPR can continue to remain in the curriculum and whatever is lost in public subsidy can try to make pledge in the pledge drive. However, the whole thing will now have to pay for itself without passing the cost for the rest of the non-hearing country.
Jonathan Turley George Washington University is a curse professor of public interest law and author of “author”.Unavoidable Rights: Free speech at the age of anger,
