PBS CEO and President Paula Kerger stated on Wednesday that there’s no solid evidence to support claims that her organization leans toward a liberal bias.
Kerger’s remarks came in light of a U.S. senator’s intention to back President Donald Trump’s bill, which proposes to cut federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR and PBS.
Trump and his Republican allies argue that these cuts are necessary to curb government spending, terming them as a response to excessive funding for a program they believe is ineffective.
“When you look at all the programming available through public broadcasts, it’s hard to see how anyone could genuinely call it biased,” Kerger told CNN’s Boris Sanchez.
Sanchez referenced the Trump administration’s stance and a PBS program titled “Radiosted Awakened Propaganda, News-Wrapped,” prompting Kerger to address the topic.
“I don’t think ‘Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood’ is a program that promotes bias,” she asserted, highlighting PBS’s children’s shows, which aim to teach kids essential skills.
However, some GOP lawmakers have pointed to instances in PBS’s children’s content as examples of progressive bias.
Representative Mary Miller from Illinois criticized PBS for “shamelessly grooming” children through shows like “Sesame Street,” especially during Pride Month, stating that such actions should outraged American parents.
Senator Mike Lee from Utah also expressed disapproval, voicing that federal funds should not support content perceived as grooming.
“The news portion we produce constitutes roughly 10% of our broadcast schedule. We take great pride in the quality of our journalism in ‘PBS Newshour,'” Kerger added.
She noted that when asked for examples of liberal bias in PBS programming, people often struggle to provide specifics.
“Many have difficulty citing concrete instances of what they mean when they allege bias,” she remarked.
PBS has faced criticism for allegedly endorsing left-leaning ideologies, with pushback regarding its coverage of matters including gender and political issues. For instance, the “PBS Newshour” has been accused of favoring certain narratives while downplaying criticisms from Republican viewpoints.
In August, “PBS Newshour” anchor Judy Woodruff acknowledged mistakes related to reporting on President Trump’s comments about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Earlier in May, during an interview with journalist Katie Couric, Kerger expressed that she does not perceive any significant bias in PBS’s offerings. She mentioned that complaints come from both progressives and conservatives regarding various broadcasts.
Kerger also pointed out that viewers often focus on stories that align with their expectations and may overlook broader perspectives in news coverage.
“We are in a challenging period where people seem to forget that news is meant to inform, rather than simply echo what they already believe,” she told Couric.
