Latest news with #PBSNewsHour
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What would funding cuts do to NPR and PBS?
Here's what you need to know. Would NPR and PBS survive? Yes. NPR gets about 2% of its annual budget directly from federal grants, including from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; for PBS, that amount is about 15%. Both organizations also get federal money indirectly, through payments from member stations across the country that receive government funding, though it's difficult to estimate how much. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The real pain will be felt by local stations in far-flung locations like Unalakleet, Alaska, and Pendleton, Oregon. Those broadcasters often rely disproportionately on federal grants for their operations because of a funding formula that takes into account the fact that they have fewer donors and programming sponsors. Advertisement What about local stations? An internal NPR report from 2011 obtained by The New York Times said that if Congress cut off funding to the public radio system, up to 18% of the roughly 1,000 member stations would close, with broadcasters in the Midwest, South and West affected the most. Nationwide, up to 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programming. Advertisement For PBS, local TV stations would also bear the brunt of the cuts. And popular programs like 'PBS NewsHour' and 'Nature' might need to find money elsewhere, such as from donations or syndication. How are local stations related to NPR and PBS? Neither NPR nor PBS own their local member stations, and the national organizations don't dictate the local programming schedules. But the local radio and TV stations pay for the rights to air shows distributed by PBS and NPR — well-known programs like 'All Things Considered,' 'Morning Edition' and 'PBS NewsHour.' NPR produces its flagship programs — known as newsmagazines — with its own staff and often relies on reporting from member stations scattered throughout the country. PBS distributes programs that are created by member stations, such as 'Frontline,' which is produced by WGBH in Boston. What's the argument for defunding NPR and PBS? Critics of public broadcasters argue that the media organizations have a liberal bias that taxpayers should not have to support. Uri Berliner, a former senior editor at NPR, argued in an essay last year that journalists at the public radio network had 'coalesced around the progressive worldview,' faulting its coverage of stories such as the controversy surrounding the laptop of then-President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. Some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have argued that widespread internet access has made news coverage from rural stations increasingly unnecessary. Some Republican critics of PBS have taken issue with content that they believe is too focused on issues of race and gender. Those concerns were aired this spring during a congressional hearing where lawmakers grilled Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, and Paula Kerger, CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service. What's the argument for keeping government funding intact? Proponents of public radio and TV in the United States argue that the organizations provide essential, free and in some cases lifesaving information for Americans across the country for little cost to taxpayers. Advertisement In some places, including remote locations that could be most affected by the cuts, public media is one of the only sources of local news. In addition to news programs like 'All Things Considered' and 'Morning Edition' on NPR, public broadcasting advocates are quick to extol the power of educational programs like 'Sesame Street' and 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.' Defenders of public broadcasting also underscore the virtues of vigorous journalism aired by PBS — programs like 'Frontline' and 'PBS NewsHour' — and investigations published by NPR, such as a recent deep dive into the Trump administration's impact on the federal health care budget. What will happen next? The Senate must act on the proposal to cut the funding, known as a rescission request, by Friday; the House has already approved it. If the measure passes, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer be able to make grants after September. If the rescission is enacted, it will probably not seriously affect any local radio and TV stations until this fall, when the next payment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting fails to arrive. This article originally appeared in .
Wall Street Journal
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Notable & Quotable: ‘We Are a Big-Tent Party'
Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin in an interview with Amna Nawaz of 'PBS News Hour,' July 9:
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
DNC chair dismisses Zohran Mamdani's refusal to condemn ‘intifada' chants: ‘We are a big tent party'
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin brushed off concerns from Jewish Democrats on Wednesday about New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani's refusal to condemn the slogan 'globalize the intifada.' Martin, elected to lead the DNC in February, suggested that his party welcomes users of the chant associated with violent uprisings against Israel, in an interview with PBS. 'You know, there's no candidate in this party that I agree 100% of the time with, to be honest with you,' Martin said, when asked by 'PBS NewsHour' host Amna Nawaz about Mamdani's repeated defense of the rallying cry for anti-Israel protesters. 3 Zohran Mamdani speaks at a 'Within Our Lifetime Palestine Protest' in front of a sign calling for an 'Intifada revolution' on May 12, 2021. Instagram/@zohrankmamdani 'There's things that I don't agree with Mamdani that he said, but at the end of the day, I always believe, as a Democratic Party chair in Minnesota for the last 14 years and now the chair of the DNC, that you win through addition, you win by bringing people into your coalition,' he continued. 'We have conservative Democrats, we have centrist Democrats, we have labor progressives like me and we have this new brand of Democrat, which is the leftists, and we win by bringing people into that coalition.' 'At the end of the day, for me, that's the type of party we're going to lead. We are a big tent party.' Mamdani, an outspoken critic of Israel, has both awkwardly defended activists' use of 'globalize the intifada' and has flat-out refused to condemn it on several occasions. The Queens assemblyman described the chant as an adage that reflects the 'desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,' in an interview with the Bulwark last month that went viral. Mamdani later repeatedly refused to condemn the slogan, viewed by some as a call for violence against Jews, in an interview on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' 'That's not language that I use. The language that I use and the language that I will continue to use to lead this city is that which speaks clearly to my intent, which is an intent grounded in a belief in universal human rights,' he told host Kristen Welker on June 29. 3 DNC Chair Ken Martin is interviewed during PBS Newshour on July 10, 2025. PBS NewsHour 3 Zohran Mamdani at the United Palace in New York on July 10, 2025. Matthew McDermott 'I don't believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech in that manner.' Some Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), have called on the socialist Democratic nominee to clarify his position on the slogan. If elected, Mamdani would become the first Muslim mayor of New York City.
Washington Post
02-07-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Award-winning international correspondent launches a new journalism platform
NEW YORK — Jane Ferguson has won awards for unflinching reporting from dangerous lands including Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen. So she was unlikely to be intimidated by seeking financing for a new journalism platform, despite tough times for the news industry. 'It's very high pressure,' said Ferguson , founder of Noosphere . 'I'm used to pressure in the field.' Started this year, Noosphere offers journalists a place to showcase work to consumers who are attracted by a more personal style of reporting than they'd normally see on traditional outlets. It's similar to Substack, with a twist. Instead of paying for feeds of individual journalists — the Substack model — people who subscribe to Noosphere for $14.99 a month get access to all of its journalists. There are 20 so far, expected to increase to 24 with the site's upcoming British launch. Noosphere — named to reference a state of consciousness advanced by Jesuit philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin — arrives at a time of flux in the news industry. Consumers are fleeing newspapers and television news and trying different approaches springing up in a new media world. Ferguson raised $1 million to get Noosphere off the ground and is about to announce an additional round of investment. Ferguson, 40, grew up in Northern Ireland, and was attracted to the high-stakes, high-risk world of international reporting. For CNN International and then PBS NewsHour, she worked largely alone, covering stories about famine and war crimes in South Sudan, the conflict in Syria and Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. The latter experience left her shell-shocked and heartbroken, wondering if she'd reached the end of that phase of her career. 'I had been on the road for 15 years,' she said. 'I was exhausted, and in some respects, burnt out.' She settled in the United States, teaching — and learning — at Princeton. She took classes in entrepreneurship and built contacts in the business world. Ferguson knew how many of her former international colleagues had to hustle to find outlets for their work, and envisioned Noosphere as a landing spot. Her business partner, Seb Walker, worked at Vice Media, known for its strong international reporting before filing for bankruptcy in 2023. 'It's gotten a lot harder to continue making a living doing this,' said Matthew Cassell , an international correspondent whose credits include Vice. A member of Noosphere's inaugural class of journalists, Cassell has posted videos giving his perspectives on the Israel-Iran war, along with recent reporting from the West Bank. Shrouq Al Aila contributed video from Gaza, showing efforts to distribute aid as the sound of gunfire is heard in the background. Oren Ziv reported from a missile strike in Israel, walking through a hospital's shattered hallways to show the destruction. 'It feels like a really high-quality reporter is Face-Timing you from the field,' Ferguson said, 'which is really cool.' News consumers, particularly young ones, are souring on more stilted, conventional television news reporting, said veteran journalist Kate O'Brian , who is on Noosphere's board of directors. 'The stage has been set for an audience who wants to hear directly from the journalist,' O'Brian said. Ferguson envisions a reporting staff that is roughly half international, half based in the United States. Former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza reports on Washington for Noosphere. Her biggest signing to date is former 'Meet the Press' moderator Chuck Todd. He started a Sunday night show in June, with 'War Room' host Steve Bannon and Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council, as his first guests. Todd has hired the former producer for Charlie Rose's PBS talk show, a clue to his ambitions for an eclectic show interviewing interesting people from politics and business. 'Jane's hard to say no to,' Todd said. 'Like any smart executive, she knows what she doesn't know, and goes to find smart people who she thinks know more.' Ferguson's bet is that audiences can only afford so many Substack subscriptions to individual journalists, and that Noosphere will offer access to more at a set price. She's also talked to news outlets interested in acquiring some of the reporters' work. The challenge to getting Noosphere established is an increasingly crowded marketplace, and several of her journalists aren't household names. Noosphere journalists are paid a percentage of subscription fees, and given a greater amount if a subscriber specifically cites that contributor's work in signing on. Ferguson will not say how many subscribers she has yet. 'Substack created a market that did not exist before and I give them huge kudos for that,' O'Brian said. 'This is just a different way of approaching it.' To succeed, 'you have to offer a lot,' Todd said. 'You can't just offer one or two things. Every hot spot around the world, Noosphere will have journalists on the ground. They have a reasonable chance to be very successful in their lane. The question is how big the lane can get.' Todd said Noosphere's advantage is that it has been created by reporters, a distinction from the lack of journalism experience found among executives in the business, he said. Ferguson, too, has wondered whether journalism can survive the diminishment or death of news organizations. 'The solution for the problems of the industry are going to come from journalists and not media executives,' she said. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and .
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Award-winning international correspondent launches a new journalism platform
NEW YORK (AP) — Jane Ferguson has won awards for unflinching reporting from dangerous lands including Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen. So she was unlikely to be intimidated by seeking financing for a new journalism platform, despite tough times for the news industry. 'It's very high pressure,' said Ferguson, founder of Noosphere. 'I'm used to pressure in the field.' Started this year, Noosphere offers journalists a place to showcase work to consumers who are attracted by a more personal style of reporting than they'd normally see on traditional outlets. It's similar to Substack, with a twist. Instead of paying for feeds of individual journalists — the Substack model — people who subscribe to Noosphere for $14.99 a month get access to all of its journalists. There are 20 so far, expected to increase to 24 with the site's upcoming British launch. Ferguson needed a change after 15 years on the road Noosphere — named to reference a state of consciousness advanced by Jesuit philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin — arrives at a time of flux in the news industry. Consumers are fleeing newspapers and television news and trying different approaches springing up in a new media world. Ferguson raised $1 million to get Noosphere off the ground and is about to announce an additional round of investment. Ferguson, 40, grew up in Northern Ireland, and was attracted to the high-stakes, high-risk world of international reporting. For CNN International and then PBS NewsHour, she worked largely alone, covering stories about famine and war crimes in South Sudan, the conflict in Syria and Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. The latter experience left her shell-shocked and heartbroken, wondering if she'd reached the end of that phase of her career. 'I had been on the road for 15 years,' she said. 'I was exhausted, and in some respects, burnt out.' She settled in the United States, teaching — and learning — at Princeton. She took classes in entrepreneurship and built contacts in the business world. Ferguson knew how many of her former international colleagues had to hustle to find outlets for their work, and envisioned Noosphere as a landing spot. Her business partner, Seb Walker, worked at Vice Media, known for its strong international reporting before filing for bankruptcy in 2023. 'It's gotten a lot harder to continue making a living doing this,' said Matthew Cassell, an international correspondent whose credits include Vice. A member of Noosphere's inaugural class of journalists, Cassell has posted videos giving his perspectives on the Israel-Iran war, along with recent reporting from the West Bank. Shrouq Al Aila contributed video from Gaza, showing efforts to distribute aid as the sound of gunfire is heard in the background. Oren Ziv reported from a missile strike in Israel, walking through a hospital's shattered hallways to show the destruction. 'It feels like a really high-quality reporter is Face-Timing you from the field,' Ferguson said, 'which is really cool.' News consumers, particularly young ones, are souring on more stilted, conventional television news reporting, said veteran journalist Kate O'Brian, who is on Noosphere's board of directors. 'The stage has been set for an audience who wants to hear directly from the journalist,' O'Brian said. Ferguson envisions a reporting staff that is roughly half international, half based in the United States. Former CNN journalist Chris Cillizza reports on Washington for Noosphere. Chuck Todd signing is Noosphere's biggest to date Her biggest signing to date is former 'Meet the Press' moderator Chuck Todd. He started a Sunday night show in June, with 'War Room' host Steve Bannon and Trita Parsi, founder of the National Iranian American Council, as his first guests. Todd has hired the former producer for Charlie Rose's PBS talk show, a clue to his ambitions for an eclectic show interviewing interesting people from politics and business. 'Jane's hard to say no to,' Todd said. 'Like any smart executive, she knows what she doesn't know, and goes to find smart people who she thinks know more." Ferguson's bet is that audiences can only afford so many Substack subscriptions to individual journalists, and that Noosphere will offer access to more at a set price. She's also talked to news outlets interested in acquiring some of the reporters' work. The challenge to getting Noosphere established is an increasingly crowded marketplace, and several of her journalists aren't household names. Noosphere journalists are paid a percentage of subscription fees, and given a greater amount if a subscriber specifically cites that contributor's work in signing on. Ferguson will not say how many subscribers she has yet. 'Substack created a market that did not exist before and I give them huge kudos for that,' O'Brian said. 'This is just a different way of approaching it.' To succeed, 'you have to offer a lot,' Todd said. 'You can't just offer one or two things. Every hot spot around the world, Noosphere will have journalists on the ground. They have a reasonable chance to be very successful in their lane. The question is how big the lane can get.' Todd said Noosphere's advantage is that it has been created by reporters, a distinction from the lack of journalism experience found among executives in the business, he said. Ferguson, too, has wondered whether journalism can survive the diminishment or death of news organizations. 'The solution for the problems of the industry are going to come from journalists and not media executives,' she said. ___ David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at and David Bauder, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
