FCC’s Investigation of NPR, PBS Slammed as Assault on Press Freedom!

Advocates for press freedom in the U.S. this week strongly criticized the investigation launched by Brendan Carr, the Republican Chair of the Federal Communications Commission, into National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), which could potentially result in the loss of federal funding for these organizations.

“Alarm bells should be sounding,” said Tim Richardson, who directs the journalism and disinformation program at PEN America, in a statement released on Thursday. “The FCC chair is using the agency’s investigative authority to intimidate independent journalism, a tactic reminiscent of authoritarian regimes where democratic norms are being eroded.”

Richardson continued by pointing out that “the Trump administration is clearly adopting these tactics, jeopardizing independent media by diminishing the accountability of elected officials and risking a less informed public. We urge the FCC to abandon these politically driven investigations.”

Echoing these concerns, Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, stated, “The commission should not initiate baseless investigations into media organizations simply due to disagreement over their coverage. Such actions can suppress reporting and compromise media independence, making it more difficult to hold the government accountable and keep the public informed.”

Craig Aaron, co-CEO of Free Press, stated that “Brendan Carr has barely settled into his role as FCC chairman, yet he is already misusing his authority to harass public broadcasters through a baseless investigation intended to silence journalists. This is clearly aligned with Carr’s far-right, Project 2025 agenda.”

“This illegitimate investigation is an assault on press freedom and a clumsy effort to discredit public broadcasters, undermining their determination to challenge the extremism, corruption, and cruelty of the Trump administration,” Aaron emphasized. “This investigation has no real basis in concerns about excessive advertising on public media. It’s a transparent effort to weaken independent, thorough reporting on the Trump administration.”

“Carr may dislike public media, but that’s predictable since he opposes journalism that holds public figures and the wealthy accountable. As with many issues under his oversight, Chairman Carr is completely out of touch with the needs and desires of the American public,” he continued. “Communities nationwide depend on their local public radio and TV stations for reliable news coverage and diverse viewpoints. Surveys consistently show that Americans support more funding for public and community media, not less.”

Aaron further noted, “In a functioning democracy, we would sufficiently fund our public media system so it wouldn’t need to seek corporate sponsorship. Unfortunately, Carr’s allies in Congress and the media moguls they represent have repeatedly attempted to eliminate public media funding. They have consistently failed because millions of viewers and listeners have opposed them.”

Carr, who was first appointed to the FCC by President Donald Trump in 2017 and was recently promoted to chairman after contributing to the Heritage Foundation-led Project 2025, announced the investigation in a Wednesday letter to NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher and PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger.

“I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts may be violating federal law by airing commercials,” Carr wrote. “I have directed the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau, with assistance from the FCC’s Media Bureau, to begin an investigation into the underwriting announcements and related policies of NPR, PBS, and their affiliated stations.”

Carr added:

I will be sending a copy of this letter to relevant Congress members because I believe this FCC investigation could be pertinent to an ongoing legislative debate. Congress is currently debating whether to continue mandating taxpayer support for NPR and PBS programming. Personally, I see no reason for Congress to keep funding NPR and PBS with taxpayer money given the changes in the media landscape since the enactment of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

If these taxpayer funds are supporting for-profit activities or entities that broadcast commercial advertisements, this would further weaken any justification for continued public funding of NPR and PBS.

Several federal lawmakers have already reacted on social media. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) described Chairman Carr’s letter announcing the new FCC investigation into NPR and PBS member stations as “baseless.” He noted, “He provides no evidence at all. Instead, this investigation is a dangerous attack on public media and local journalism.”

Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) stated, “Public television and radio are vital to their local communities. The FCC should not be used to intimidate and silence broadcast media. We should be bolstering, not undermining, their contributions to journalism and the exchange of ideas.”

The two Democratic members of the FCC also voiced their opposition to Carr’s actions. Commissioner Anna Gomez remarked, “This seems to be yet another attempt by the administration to misuse the FCC’s power. The FCC has no business intimidating and silencing broadcast media.”

Commissioner Geoffrey Starks commented, “Public television and radio stations are crucial to our media ecosystem. Any efforts to intimidate these local media outlets threaten the free flow of information and the marketplace of ideas. The announcement of this investigation raises serious concerns.”

Maher stated, “NPR programming and underwriting messages comply with federal regulations, including the FCC guidelines for noncommercial educational broadcasters, and our member stations are expected to adhere to these standards as well.”

“We are confident that any review of our programming and underwriting practices will verify NPR’s compliance with these rules,” she added. “We have collaborated with the FCC for decades in support of noncommercial educational broadcasters who deliver essential information, educational content, and emergency alerts to local communities throughout the United States.”

In a statement to NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik, who reported on the investigation, Kerger expressed pride in PBS’s role. “PBS is proud of the noncommercial educational programming we provide to Americans through our member stations. We diligently adhere to the FCC’s underwriting regulations and look forward to demonstrating our compliance to the commission.”