Media exposed for covering up white farmer ‘massacre' in South Africa
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Trump-era funding cut delivers blow to local journalism as public broadcasting group forced to close
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has announced it will shut down operations in a massive blow to the public media network in the United States. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last month voted to pull $US1.1 billion ($1.71 billion) in funding over two years. The demise of the corporation, known as CPB, is a direct result of President Donald Trump's targeting of public media, which he has repeatedly said is spreading political and cultural views opposite to those the US should be promoting. Mr Trump has long claimed public broadcasting displays an extreme liberal bias and has generated an anti-public broadcasting groundswell among supporters in recent months. The closure is expected to have a profound impact on journalism and the cultural landscape in the US. CPB helps fund both PBS and NPR, but most of its funding is distributed to more than 1,500 local public radio and television stations in small communities around the country. Stations rely on public donations, sponsorships and local government funding to make up the remainder of their budgets. But without federal funding, many rural stations could be at risk, which would impact educational programming, local news coverage and emergency broadcasts. CPB has deep ties with much of the nation's familiar programming, including NPR's All Things Considered, Sesame Street, and historically, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Ken Burns's documentaries. CPB said its end, 58 years after being signed into law by President Lyndon B Johnson, would come in an "orderly wind-down". In a statement, it said the decision was made in response to the funding cuts by Congress. "Despite the extraordinary efforts of millions of Americans who called, wrote, and petitioned Congress to preserve federal funding for CPB, we now face the difficult reality of closing our operations," said Patricia Harrison, the corporation's president and CEO. Democrats on the Senate Appropriations Committee made a last-ditch effort this week to save the CPB's funding. As part of committee deliberations on Thursday, senator Tammy Baldwin authored, but then withdrew, an amendment to restore CPB funding for the coming budget year. She said she still believed there was a path forward "to fix this before there are devastating consequences for public radio and television stations across the country". "It's hard to believe we've ended up in the situation we're in," she said. "And I'm going to continue to work with my colleagues to fix it." But senator Shelley Moore Capito sounded a less optimistic tone. "I understand your concerns, but we all know we litigated this two weeks ago," she said. CPB said it informed employees on Friday, local time, that most staff positions will end on September 30. It said a small transition team will stay in place until January to finish any remaining work, including "ensuring continuity for music rights and royalties that remain essential to the public media system". "Public media has been one of the most trusted institutions in American life, providing educational opportunity, emergency alerts, civil discourse, and cultural connection to every corner of the country," Ms Harrison said. "We are deeply grateful to our partners across the system for their resilience, leadership, and unwavering dedication to serving the American people." NPR stations use millions of dollars in federal money to pay music licensing fees. Now, many will have to renegotiate these deals. NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher estimated recently that 96 per cent of all classical music broadcast in the US is on public radio stations. AP
AU Financial Review
2 hours ago
- AU Financial Review
Trump redeploys nuclear subs after ‘foolish' Russian statements
Washington | President Donald Trump said he had ordered two nuclear submarines to be positioned in 'the appropriate regions' in response to statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 'Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev ... I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that,' Trump said in a social media post on Saturday AEST. Reuters
Sydney Morning Herald
3 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cheesed off: Swiss meltdown over Trump's ‘incomprehensible' tariff whack
London: Swiss companies are reeling from a shock move by US President Donald Trump to slap a 39 per cent tariff on their exports, stunning brand-name suppliers of luxury watches, jewellery, cheese and chocolate. Swiss chocolate makers have declared the move 'incomprehensible' and are warning it will hit them hard, as the changes flow through to higher prices for American customers. The biggest names in luxury watches, already suffering a slowdown in America after Trump's previous trade decisions, now confront extraordinary price hikes that could lead them to expand sales in other markets. Trump spared Australia from higher penalties in his sweeping trade decision on Thursday, leaving tariffs at 10 per cent for most Australian exports, but he singled out Switzerland with the biggest blow to any European country. At 39 per cent, the new rate is higher than the 31 per cent tariff the president proposed in April – and much worse than Swiss leaders expected. The decision puts the Swiss exporters at a grave disadvantage to competitors in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and other countries that will incur the 15 per cent tariff applied to the European Union. While Americans may have to pay steeper prices for Bally fashion made in Switzerland, they would incur a more modest price hike for a Dior item made in France or Armani product made in Italy. 'It is incomprehensible why Switzerland is affected by these tariffs, as reciprocity is out of the question,' industry group Chocosuisse said, repeating concerns it aired in April.
