Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan take tough votes every day. But the vote to defund the left-wing media outlets PBS and NPR should not be one of them. The Senate has until July 18 to vote on a bill to cut $1.1 billion in taxpayer money that President Joe Biden secured for these media outlets while he was still president. These taxpayer-funded fossils have dedicated their entire purpose to pushing anti-American narratives while screaming, “We’re bipartisan, we swear!”
PBS and NPR break the law every hour, and do so intentionally. They clearly ignore the Public Broadcasting Act’s requirement that they ensure “strict adherence to objectivity and balance.” Instead, they are an arm of the left that feeds propaganda while refusing to serve the larger public.
For example, NPR strongly refuses to report on conflicting interpretations of climate data. They’ve even gone as far to state that “NPR does not manage in false equivalence by giving equal time to those who deny the science of global warming.” Alaskans who rely on the gas and oil industries for their livelihood run afoul of the leftist dogma, often spouted by PBS and NPR, that energy producers are the enemy.
Unlike these news relics, I spoke directly with an Alaskan resident after Murkowski expressed concern for Sand Point Public Broadcasting if the bill passes. She may be surprised to learn that the 56 residents of Cold Bay, her own constituents, use Starlink, a service that provides high-speed internet using satellites and brings reliable online access to remote and underserved areas that lack traditional broadband options. Alaskans in remote areas have jumped into the digital age overnight and there are countless communities across Alaska that have done the same.
They don’t care about Alaskans’ stories, economy, or way of life. Alaskans deserve better than biased reporting, outdated technology, and ideological gatekeeping.
The beauty of Starlink is that it addresses the real challenges many rural and tribal communities face in accessing reliable news – challenges PBS and NPR have failed to solve despite decades of funding. This satellite internet constellation delivers news to remote communities instantly, offering access to countless networks with just a tap.
Not only do PBS and NPR suppress dissenting voices, they think so little of our nation’s growers and ranchers. Farmers do not need NPR for weather reports, but public media dinosaurs can’t imagine that they have cell phones, computers, and weather apps. And newsflash: Why should farmers have to subsidize the media outlets trying to destroy their jobs? NPR has pushed the claim that raising cattle increases CO2, just like they’ve attacked fishermen, oil and gas workers, and even the men and women protecting our borders.
And for all that taxpayer funding, NPR can’t even be bothered to cover the kind of local news that actually matters to Alaskan communities. NPR is scrambling across Capitol Hill, claiming that communities nationwide will be unable to access local news without their stations. But an analysis by the Media Research Center finds that, on average, only 5.4% of programming aired by local NPR affiliates in all 50 states is locally produced. Instead, nearly 95% of NPR content comes from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston, and New York. You’re footing the bill for a liberal media machine that couldn’t care less about your stories.
ALASKA WATCHMAN DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX
The news that does make the cut for PBS only makes it because it checks the box for left-wing bias. Another MRC study found that PBS exhibited greater bias than even MSNBC, using the term “far right” 42 times more often than “far left.” Despite the growing trend of left-wing extremist violence during the first six months of the second Trump administration, talking heads on TV news remained reluctant to acknowledge the existence of the American far left. However, those same journalists had no qualms about smearing anything even moderately conservative with a ‘far-right’ label. PBS’s reporting is anything but balanced.
For too long, PBS and NPR have drowned out the voices of everyday Americans, especially those in Alaska. They don’t care about Alaskans’ stories, economy, or way of life. Alaskans deserve better than biased reporting, outdated technology, and ideological gatekeeping. You deserve representation, and that includes having a senator who’s willing to defend your voice – not fund the forces trying to silence it.
Murkowski and Sullivan have until July 18 to prove who they work for. They can either keep standing in the way or finally start standing up for the people who sent them to Washington.
The views expressed here are those of the author.
TAKING ACTION
— Click here to contact Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
— Click here to contact Sen. Dan Sullivan.
14 Comments
Great article! We need new Senators for sure and especially to replace Murkowski. She worked to force the Alaskans to accept Biden and his efforts every step of the way. Her friendship with the Biden Crime Family is long standing and recognized as strong and supportive of Biden’s effort to ruin this country. Time for Murkowski to go!
Sullivan, on the other hand takes up half of the democratic issues to support. But, we are still in need of two new Senators with conservative and worthwhile work endeavors for the State of Alaska.
Amen Diana
NPR and PBS what a joke. Who cares what they say. Remember back in the day when ABC, NBC, CBS
and Walter Cronkite, that was real news and newspapers too.
Now all these stations are on the left, and the sky is falling.
NPR = National Propaganda Radio. Nothing but left wing commie lies.
They recently provided in-depth coverage of the Texas floods. If you can, are there any left wing commie lies there?
How about stock market figures – commie lies?
Exaggeration, shallow thinking and impulsivity are kryptonite to good decisions.
I’ll bet good ole Lisa will vote to keep NPR and PBS alive and flourishing. Her common excuse for supporting them is, “How will the villages get their information without PBS and NPR”. That backup excuse is/has gotten pretty old and very deceptive, as is she.
Schneider, you’re wrong. NPR and PBS are NOT left biased, but they are biased toward the truth, truth as defined by the scientific method and defensible evidence. Thus, if NPR does a story about Ivermectin or the anti-vax opinions, it’s to highlight falsity and danger. NPR won’t cover MTG as a legitimate congresswoman, because she isn’t. That Kristi Noem gets reamed for turning her lack of intellect and curiosity into costume dress-up, is because critical thinking Americans see her as weak and buffoonifferish, and not to be taken seriously.
As for Alaska, you took an uninformed position. You wrote, “For too long, PBS and NPR have drowned out the voices of everyday Americans, especially those in Alaska. They don’t care about Alaskans’ stories, economy, or way of life.” However, reality contradicts you you. Here’s shows about Alaska on PBS and NPR: Indie Alaska, Alaska Insight, Line One, Polar Playlists, After the Ice, Alaska at Work, Alaska Economic Report, Alaska Morning News, Alaska Nightly News, Hometown Alaska, Iditapod, Midnight Oil, Outdoor Explorer, Talk of Alaska, Molly of Denali, Addressing Alaskans and Traveling Music.
Despite your complaints, Alaska is well covered with quality media.
Manny you just want other people to pay for something they don’t want, that you want… face it!
Let’s hope the vote for PBS and NPR. They cover stories in depth that no one else does. THey show wonderful programs for children and adults. MAGAs don’t watch because they are not smart enough. They prefer NASCAR, WWE and Duck Dynasty.
Jon, you want it pay for it. Everyone else pays for entertainment program they want, what make you so special?
They are a valuable public service, just like meat inspectors and Alaska State Troopers.
Jon/Manny,
First, you two should be very appreciative that Joel cares enough for all viewpoints that he will allow your incendiary comments on his website, Joel, kudos to you.
To answer your claims about what MAGAs watch and listen to, I purposefully took several days this week to listen to NPR on a variety of news based topics as well as Alaskan interests. During this time, I unbiasedly immersed myself into their presentations as I do not want to be caught in an echo chamber self-supporting my own personally held beliefs. By day 3, I chose to cancel my experiment. This because they did exactly what Manny said they do in their reporting.
They were 100% biased against any Trump legislation, any Trump anything.
They consistently report that any conservative view is either flawed or just plain wrong.
They chose to not report on duly elected officials because they do not agree with the viewpoints proffered. Like MTG.
They will not acknowledge that the “Vax” caused vast damage.
They will not acknowledge that the previous administration was irreparably flawed and cost this nation credibility.
They report endlessly on the improperly named Inflation Reduction Act which cost taxpayers dearly with no returns.
They preach a one sided climate change -co2 reduction is the answer to all environmental issues mantra.
When faced with hard truth, they change the topic enough to fit their narrative.
They refuse to acknowledge that the Trump government exists because they won the election in all ways.
They shamelessly promote gross immorality that conservatives do not support.
I could go on, but like my experiment, this becomes repetitive.
My recommendation to you both is to do what I did. Commit to listen without bias for several days, immerse yourselves in the opposite view and see what happens. Candidly, I did learn that many that live on the NPR diet truly have conviction in their views and they are beautiful for that. They have true concerns and cares. However, without balancing their viewpoints by truly attempting to understand and appreciate the opposing views, become no better that any other closed minded groups.
-Cheers
So they are not like Fox channel. That just means they are vastly more likely to report truth. And true about Joel. Thanks Joel.
Manny Mullen you’re beyond help. Meat inspector, and Alaska State Troopers are government employees, are you saying that NPR & PBS are government owned, or just owned by the sleazy Democrats?
Steve. I meat that NPR and PBS are valuable, regardless of who owns them.