Self-reflection was absent as the cast of characters that made up Friday’s edition of PBS News Hour attacked President Donald Trump’s executive order that cut off their taxpayer money. From putting their heads in the sand on their liberal bias, to trying to make themselves free speech martyrs, Friday’s show by itself showed by Trump’s move was the correct one.
Host Amna Nawaz asked William Brangham, “just pull back for a little bit here. How does this fit into the larger campaign by the Trump administration that they’re waging against the press?”
Brangham saw a larger pattern, “I mean, this is definitely part of a much larger strategy, that the president is pushing back on all of the organizations and institutions that he believes are against him and his agenda. I mean, as we well know, most presidents have a fraught relationship with the press. But few take it to the extreme that this president has, either rhetorically or legally.”
After rattling off some of Trump’s other battles with the press, Brangham added, “There’s an organization that’s called Reporters Without Borders. And, every year, they put out an annual measure of world press freedom. We should put up this chart. They just issued their most recent report, and it says that press freedoms in the United States have fallen to historical lows.”
Brangham was the first, but certainly not the last person to try to tie PBS’s fate to other outlets. Later, Nawaz asked New York Times columnist David Brooks a similar question, “He’s alleging bias in the reporting. And it is, as we have seen, the latest move by the president to use executive power and the levers of government to target institutions, media, cultural, academic, that he disagrees with. At its core, what do you believe this is about?”
Brooks claimed, “At its core, the Trump administration is based on one them, which is, they think progressive elites have destroyed the country, we need to take progressive elites down.”
After recalling how he got the job 23 years ago, Brooks became more animated:
And I would say, if you think the PBS is biased, compared to who? Name one news organization in America — and I shouldn’t be defending us. I get paid by PBS. But I’m going to do it — who’s more straight down the line than we are. Is it MSNBC? Is it Fox? Is it CNN? Lisa Desjardins, like, one of the great journalists of our time? And so I will defend PBS, A, because I know how good we do in relative terms, but, B, because we travel around the country. We see the local affiliates where they’re not doing some ideological thing. They are the voice of their community.
Of course, Fox News does not receive federal money and also has local affiliates, but to answer Brooks’s question, Brooks himself is an example of PBS’s bias. Brooks is the man whom PBS rolls out every week to give the conservative perspective on the news, and while he may claim that the problem with the GOP is that it has been captured by Trumpism, this is the guy who marveled at Barack Obama’s pants and voted for him over John McCain.
Nawaz then asked the same question of a third person, this time Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart, “Jonathan, what do you make of the president’s moves at this time, not just about PBS? This is not just about us. It’s part of a larger campaign here.”
Capehart began with an incorrect reading of the First Amendment, “But I think what the president is doing, it is a fundamental attack on our Constitution, on the foundation of this country. People need to understand and remember, there is only one profession that is protected in the Constitution, and it is the free press. It is the press.”
The Constitution also protects religious leaders and political activists, but Capehart continued as he suggested defunding was the same as elimination, “And why? Because the founders understood that the survival of a democracy depends on an informed citizenry. And the citizenry can only be informed by a press that can report and do — report on the affairs of the republic free and unfettered.”
Capehart concluded by warning his MSNBC colleagues might be next, “And whether they are — come from the left or from the right, the government should not interfere with that reporting. And so, when you have a president of the United States who is making it his mission to attack the free press, we should all be concerned, whether we are at PBS or whether we are at MSNBC, because he’s focused on us too.”
Nawaz then wrapped up, “Well, I know we will all continue to do our work without fear or favor.”
In reality, they will continue with favor, as Friday’s show demonstrated so well.
Sign the petition to help us defund another MSNBC in PBS and NPR at defundpbsnpr.org.
Here is a transcript for the May 2 show:
PBS News Hour
5/2/2025
7:19 PM and
AMNA NAWAZ: So, William, just pull back for a little bit here. How does this fit into the larger campaign by the Trump administration that they’re waging against the press?
WILLIAM BRANGHAM: I mean, this is definitely part of a much larger strategy, that the president is pushing back on all of the organizations and institutions that he believes are against him and his agenda.
I mean, as we well know, most presidents have a fraught relationship with the press. But few take it to the extreme that this president has, either rhetorically or legally. I mean, he’s repeatedly called the press the enemy of the people. He has sued ABC and CBS and 60 Minutes. He pushed the Associated Press out of the pool.
He’s called pollsters very recently from major media institutions criminals who should be investigated for election fraud because they published polls showing that his current policies are unpopular.
There’s an organization that’s called Reporters Without Borders. And, every year, they put out an annual measure of world press freedom. We should put up this chart. They just issued their most recent report, and it says that press freedoms in the United States have fallen to historical lows.
…
7:51 PM and
NAWAZ: Well, David, I want to come to you on this other topic, because I know you’re obviously both here because you are believers in the power of public media.
We did see President Trump issue this executive order directing that federal funding should be cut for NPR and PBS. He’s alleging bias in the reporting. And it is, as we have seen, the latest move by the president to use executive power and the levers of government to target institutions, media, cultural, academic, that he disagrees with.
At its core, what do you believe this is about?
DAVID BROOKS: At its core, the Trump administration is based on one them, which is, they think progressive elites have destroyed the country, we need to take progressive elites down.
And that’s whether they’re in museums, in sciences, the universities, whatever. And so, in some sense, they have some case to be made that the elites have become a little more progressive. But as they go after CPB, I’m reminded of the call I got 23 years ago from Jim Lehrer offering me this job.
And I’m sitting there, of course, in a little league dugout. And Jim said, “You’re going to be on the show on Fridays. We want you out and do a lot of reporting. You got to bring something to the game. This is about journalism.”
And I would say, if you think the PBS is biased, compared to who? Name one news organization in America — and I shouldn’t be defending us. I get paid by PBS.
But I’m going to do it — who’s more straight down the line than we are.
Is it MSNBC? Is it Fox? Is it CNN? Lisa Desjardins, like, one of the great journalists of our time? And so I will defend PBS, A, because I know how good we do in relative terms, but, B, because we travel around the country. We see the local affiliates where they’re not doing some ideological thing. They are the voice of their community.
And so that’s one of the reasons I’m violating my normal principle of never defending somebody I work for and trying to say, this is how I was hired, to be a journalist.
NAWAZ: Jonathan, what do you make of the president’s moves at this time, not just about PBS? This is not just about us. It’s part of a larger campaign here.
JONATHAN CAPEHART: Right. And I was going to say, well, what can I say after that passionate defense of PBS and CPB? But I think what the president is doing, it is a fundamental attack on our Constitution, on the foundation of this country. People need to understand and remember, there is only one profession that is protected in the Constitution, and it is the free press. It is the press.
And why? Because the founders understood that the survival of a democracy depends on an informed citizenry. And the citizenry can only be informed by a press that can report and do — report on the affairs of the republic free and unfettered.
And whether they are — come from the left or from the right, the government should not interfere with that reporting. And so, when you have a president of the United States who is making it his mission to attack the free press, we should all be concerned, whether we are at PBS or whether we are at MSNBC, because he’s focused on us too.
NAWAZ: Well, I know we will all continue to do our work without fear or favor.
