Public broadcasting cuts would strike blow to Tennesseans' news and information
Trustworthy information is vital in emergencies. Trustworthy journalism is essential when change comes so fast it's hard to keep up.
For decades, Nashville Public Radio has earned Middle Tennessee's trust by delivering independent journalism, emergency services, and civil conversations about issues that are important to all of us. Always for free. Always in the public interest. Filling gaps that commercial media cannot address.
Now, though, both WPLN News and our new music discovery station WNXP are at grave risk. The White House wants to eliminate federal support for public media. Congress is expected to vote soon on a proposal to eliminate funding which would represent about five percent of Nashville Public Radio's budget. This funding helps sustain our emergency news coverage, local watchdog reporting, and shows like "Morning Edition," "This Is Nashville," "All Things Considered" and Marketplace.
These cuts would deliver a devastating blow to public media nationwide, and to the local news and information, that hundreds of thousands of Middle Tennesseans rely on.
Now is the time to speak up for public media. Talk to your friends and family about the value public media brings to your life and your community. Raise your voice by contacting your representatives in Washington. Go to ProtectMyPublicMedia.org to find easy links.
A free, independent press is essential to a healthy democracy. Together we can keep Nashville and Middle Tennessee strong.
Steve Swenson is president and CEO of Nashville Public Radio.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: White House wants to kill federal support for public media | Opinion
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Time Magazine
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