Policy Issues / Woke and Weaponized

Primer: The Corporation for Public Broadcasting — Propaganda Machine 

by CRA Staff

April 8, 2025

With the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it is clear taxpayer dollars have been weaponized against their interests and are facilitating left-wing control over national conversations.

Background

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was established in 1967 as a private non-profit corporation under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.¹ CPB-funded stations reach almost every household in the United States, and CPB is the largest single source of funding for public television and radio programming.² Most CPB-funded television programs are distributed through the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), created in 1969 by CPB.³ CPB-funded radio programs are distributed primarily through National Public Radio (NPR), which was created in 1970 by CPB.⁴ Both PBS and NPR are private, nonprofit corporations.⁵ CPB is guided by a nine-member board of directors serving staggered six-year terms.⁶ The President appoints these directors, which the Senate must confirm.⁷ According to the Congressional Research Service, federal funding for CPB primarily comes from the Departments of Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill.⁸ Still, it may receive funding from other sources in the federal government.⁹ CPB was appropriated $535 million for FY 2025 and operates a budget of $545 million.¹⁰

CPB Budget Breakdown¹¹

Lawmakers and the Trump Administration are evaluating the federal role in supporting CPB due to concerns over the federal debt, the federal government’s role in funding public radio and television, and whether public broadcasting provides a balanced approach to covering news of national interest. On March 26, 2025, the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency held a hearing with the NPR and PBS executives, which outlined how NPR and PBS have increasingly become radical, left-wing echo chambers catering to a narrow audience of mostly wealthy, white, urban liberals and progressives.¹² Also, in April 2024, former NPR editor Uri Berliner published an essay outlining the lack of viewpoint diversity within the station and its bias in covering topics like COVID-19 and President Trump.¹³ 

The woke and weaponized nature of CPB and its entities did not just come into existence out of nowhere; it has been in development for decades and is part of the organization’s foundational structure. State-funded media, but not state-controlled media, has proved to be a farce. Publicly funded media will always be susceptible to morphing into government propaganda because, as CPB’s leadership rightly perceives, its funding hinges on government support; it may, therefore, consciously or unconsciously steer programming toward topics and framing that resonate with government priorities, which are not necessarily consistent with public priorities. Subjecting journalism to be reliant on the state will ensure that media help support the state in one way or another. This is antithetical to the function journalists and media are supposed to perform, which is to check corrupt government actors. 

Congress and the Trump Administration should consider eliminating federal funding for CPB as it no longer appeals to the broader American public and does not warrant additional taxpayer dollars from American citizens. 

CPB is Woke and Weaponized

• In 2010, NPR accepted a $1.8 million grant from the Open Society Foundations, an organization headed by George Soros, the billionaire backer of liberal causes and candidates.¹⁴ Open Society Foundations has long supported far-left agendas, such as providing cash assistance to illegal aliens residing unlawfully in the United States.¹⁵ By accepting millions in grant money from such an organization, NPR was incentivized to favorably report on unfettered immigration and negatively report on anyone who opposed this policy.¹⁶

• In 2014, PBS highlighted a documentary about doctors who provide late-term abortions.¹⁷ Late-term abortion is a brutal procedure that ends the life of a viable baby, capable of feeling pain and surviving outside the womb.¹⁸ PBS and NPR have long highlighted the ‘positives’ of abortion while either disregarding or denying the legitimacy of the prolife arguments. In 2019, NPR released an updated guidance document that directs its staff on what terminology is to be used when reporting on abortion.¹⁹ The directive uses positive language for abortion and for those who support abortion access. It also shows persistently negative language for prolife terms and those who oppose abortion.

• During the 2020 election, Yamiche Alcindor, PBS’s White House correspondent between 2018 and 2022, defended the Black Lives Matter riots and complimented newly elected President Biden as a “moral, decent man.”²⁰

• The then-future head of NPR, Katherine Maher, stated in an August 2021 Ted Talk: “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.”²¹

• She has tweeted numerous insults directed at President Trump and cheered on numerous left-wing causes.²²

• Uri Berliner, an NPR editor for 25 years, wrote an essay in 2024 outlining the left-wing bias that plagues NPR. Berliner states that President Trump’s election in 2016 was “greeted at NPR with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and despair.”²³ He also states that reporting “veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency.”²⁴
  
  • Berliner noted that “race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace,”²⁵ and this included an increasing number of identity-based groups at NPR:
    
    • “They included MGIPOC (Marginalized Genders and Intersex People of Color mentorship program); Mi Gente (Latinx employees at NPR); NPR Noir (black employees at NPR); Southwest Asians and North Africans at NPR; Ummah (for Muslim-identifying employees); Women, Gender-Expansive, and Transgender People in Technology Throughout Public Media; Khevre (Jewish heritage and culture at NPR); and NPR Pride (LGBTQIA employees at NPR).”²⁶
      
    • Berliner also stated that “​​in October 2020, the New York Post published the explosive report about the laptop Hunter Biden abandoned at a Delaware computer shop containing emails about his sordid business dealings. With the election only weeks away, NPR turned a blind eye.”²⁷
      
    • Finally, Berliner outlined how NPR coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic was politicized and that the COVID lab leak theory was dismissed as “racist and a right-wing conspiracy.”²⁸

• PBS stations nationwide often feature special programming, including documentaries, series, and specials promoting LGBTQ+ propaganda.²⁹ This includes programming for children. For example, a PBS station in New York got significant attention for airing a children’s program that featured a singing and dancing drag queen.³⁰
  

PBS also introduced an LGBT+ toolkit on its website, which it described as a way to help educators “understand and effectively address the complex and difficult issues faced by LGBTQ Students.”³¹

• PBS has promoted programming that supports critical race theory (CRT) and its importance in educational settings. For example, a program called Why Race Matters breaks down the history of CRT and how it is vital for addressing systematic racism.³³

Conclusion

As demonstrated above, CPB and its entities have become propaganda outlets for the left and functioned as state media for the Biden Administration. According to a study on the 2024 election the Media Research Center published, “PBS staff used 162 variations of ‘far right’ labels and only six ‘far left’ labels, an astounding ratio of 27 to 1.”³⁴ Furthermore, “PBS staff and guests employed 17 total fascist labels of Donald Trump, compared to three for Kamala Harris as communist, with two of those three denying she was one.”³⁵ Also, despite preexisting left-wing bias, in 2011, the NPR audience was still reflective of the country, with 26% percent of listeners describing themselves as conservative, 23% percent as middle of the road, and 37% percent as liberal.³⁶ This has fundamentally changed; by 2023, only 11 percent described themselves as very or somewhat conservative, 21 percent as middle of the road, and 67 percent of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal.³⁷ CPB and its entities do not provide a balanced approach when it comes to reporting on national news and function purely as a propaganda tool of the left to promote their woke and weaponized agenda. With the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, it is clear taxpayer dollars have been weaponized against their interests and are facilitating left-wing control over national conversations.

Endnotes

1.  CRS Report (July 3, 20217). “The Corporation for Public Broadcasting: Federal Funding and Issues,” The Congressional Research Service. https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS22168?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22Public+Broadcasting+Service%22%7D&s=2&r=3

2.  Ibid. 

3.  Ibid. 

4.  Ibid. 

5.  Ibid. 

6.  Ibid. 

7.  Ibid. 

8.  Ibid. 

9.  Ibid. 

10.  CPB Operating Budget (April 3, 2025). “Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget,” Corporation for Public Broadcasting. https://cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget

11.  CPB Operating Budget (April 4, 2025). “Fiscal Year 2025 Operating Budget,” Corporation for Public Broadcasting. https://cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget

12.  Press Release (March 26, 2025). “DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Marjorie Taylor Greene Opens Hearing with NPR and PBS Executives,” House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. https://oversight.house.gov/release/doge-subcommittee-chairwoman-marjorie-taylor-greene-opens-hearing-with-npr-and-pbs-executives/

13.  Berliner (April 9, 2024). “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust,” The Free Press. https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust

14.  Jensen (October 17, 2010). “With Grant, NPR to Step Up State Government Reporting,” The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/business/media/18npr.html  

15.  Hopkins (April 16, 2020). “George Soros Tied To Multi-Million-Dollar Relief Fund For Illegal Aliens,” The Daily Caller. https://dailycaller.com/2020/04/16/soros-illegal-aliens-coronavirus-california-open-society/

16.  https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/nprs-blatant-immigration-bias-borders-absurd 

17.  POV (August 31, 2014). “After Tiller,” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/video/pov-after-tiller-trailer/

18.  Flanders (August 19, 2024). “Top Myths DEBUNKED: Late or ‘late-term’ abortions,” Live Action. https://www.liveaction.org/news/top-myths-debunked-late-term-abortions/

19.  https://wamu.org/story/19/05/15/guidance-reminder-on-abortion-procedures-terminology-rights/ 

20.  Gonzalez (January 17, 2025). “End the Corporation for Public Broadcasting,” The Heritage Foundation. https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/end-the-corporation-public-broadcasting

21.  Halon (November 13, 2024). “Elon Musk renews calls to defund NPR after controversial clip of CEO resurfaces,” The New York Post. https://nypost.com/2024/11/13/media/elon-musk-renews-calls-to-defund-npr-after-controversial-clip-of-ceo-resurfaces/#!

22.  O’Keefe (April 16, 2024). “NPR suspends editor who wrote essay critiquing outlet’s viewpoint bias,” The Washington Examiner. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/2967635/npr-suspends-editor-essay-critiquing-bias/

23.  Berliner (April 9, 2024). “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust,” The Free Press. https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust

24.  Ibid. 

25.  Ibid. 

26.  Ibid. 

27.  Ibid. 

28.  Ibid. 

29.  PBS Publicity (June 1 2022). “PBS Celebrates LGBTQ+ Stories During Pride Month 2022,” PBS. https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/pbs-celebrates-lgbtq-stories-during-pride-month-2022/

30.  Dorman (May 20, 2021). “PBS station defends drag queen skit for kids: ‘performance art that can inspire creative thinking’, Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/pbs-station-defends-drag-queen-kids

31.  Miller (May 5, 2023). “Nonprofit group calls on federal government to strip PBS funding in response to network’s ‘LGBTQ+ propaganda’,” Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/us/nonprofit-group-calls-federal-government-strip-pbs-funding-response-networks-lgbtq-propaganda

32.  Ibid. 

33.  Why Race Matters (April 12, 2022). “Critical Race Theory,” PBS Wisconsin. https://www.pbs.org/video/critical-race-theory-gitpun/

34.  Waters (December 4, 2024). “PBS News Hour’s Extreme Makeover: 27 Times More Likely to Find ‘Far Right’ Over ‘Far Left’,” Media Research Center. https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/clay-waters/2024/12/04/pbs-news-hours-extreme-makeover-27-times-more-likely-find-far-right

35.  Ibid. 

36.  Berliner (April 9, 2024). “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust,” The Free Press. https://www.thefp.com/p/npr-editor-how-npr-lost-americas-trust

37.  Ibid.