In a surprising turn of events, the longstanding debate over federal funding for public broadcasting has reached a conclusion.
National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) will continue to operate, albeit in a modified form, following the cessation of federal funding.
However, the future of local stations and affiliates grappling with funding issues remains uncertain. A new revelation concerning the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the supervisory body for these outlets, has recently come to light.
According to RedState, the Media Research Center has unearthed a questionable payout made by the CPB, raising doubts about the organization's affiliations and suggesting possible protection payments. Joseph Vasquez has revealed that the CPB has been paying over half a million dollars to the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a supporter of the decidedly left-leaning Politifact and a known recipient of George Soros funding.
In 2023, Vasquez discovered, the CPB donated just under $600,000 to Poynter. Unlike PBS and NPR, which rely on diverse income sources such as private donations and corporate grants, along with approximately a third from grants and licensing from network affiliates, the CPB operates solely on funds from Washington. This implies that the CPB was fostering its relationship with Poynter using taxpayer dollars.
Poynter, a few years ago, created a list of "unreliable news websites," which predominantly included right-of-center outlets such as RedState and Townhall. After the list was proven to be biased and flawed, it was withdrawn. It has long been evident that public broadcasters and Poynter, particularly through its Politifact platform, harbor an anti-conservative bias. However, it is now clear that this is more than just shared leftist objectives; genuine collaboration and mutual back-patting have occurred.
The "PBS News Hour," a consistently biased news program, has a partnership with Politifact, which it prominently features on its website. Vasquez also points out that other operational relationships with Poynter were established to enhance stations' digital presence and grow their subscriber bases. Furthermore, Politifact and PBS collaborated for the 2024 election, a move that was marked by irony when the respected Judy Woodruff was caught disseminating misinformation during the Democratic National Convention.
As a result of this collaboration, both PBS and NPR manage to avoid Politifact's harsh scrutiny. Neither outlet has been subjected to a single fact-check on the site. While Politifact is notorious for its aggressive stance towards Republicans and right-of-center news outlets, these two outlets can claim unbiased reporting without fear of correction by the leading name in fact-checking.
The paid arrangement disclosed by Vasquez mirrors the long-tolerated relationship between Planned Parenthood and the Democratic Party. Planned Parenthood, a significant donor to Democratic Party candidates, has been involved in a circular money scam. The Democrats facilitated tax dollars to Planned Parenthood, which then donated to sympathetic candidates who used tax dollars to win office. Similarly, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has teamed up with anti-conservative media to favor one party, using the very tax dollars they received.
Since the withdrawal of funding last week, PBS has adopted a markedly different stance. On Monday, the "PBS News Hour" asserted that they were not going anywhere, a stark contrast to the panic expressed earlier this year. In an unexpected development, both PBS and NPR have received record donations, despite years of resistance to suggestions that these public news outlets could survive on audience support.
This is precisely what many opponents of public funding for these outlets have been advocating: let them operate independently, but not at taxpayers' expense. However, those making donations in exchange for a coveted tote bag should be aware of how their money is being spent once their check is cashed.
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