CPB Awards Grant to NPR to Cover Ukraine Conflict

NPR is adding staff and resources to cover Russia’s aggression in Ukraine with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB approved $500,000 in emergency funding to support NPR coverage in the region on Tuesday, as Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to re-invade Ukraine’s Donbas region.

“We are grateful for CPB’s support of NPR’s ongoing coverage of the crisis in Ukraine and the surrounding region, one of the most complex and consequential stories of our time,” said John Lansing, president and CEO of NPR. “Our job is to bear witness for our audiences, and for history. Thanks to this generous grant, NPR will be able to report on what’s happening, providing fact-based accounts around events and their repercussions for people in Ukraine and in the U.S. This coverage extends across the newsroom -- from the International desk to our national security and White House teams – serving all platforms including newscasts, shows, podcasts, digital and social media platforms.”

“As Russia accelerates its use of misinformation and disinformation in its invasion of democratic Ukraine, CPB is proud to support NPR reporters in their difficult and potentially dangerous work in bringing fact-based news and information to audiences in the United States and around the world," said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB.

NPR, which has had reporters on the ground in Ukraine since January, will use the funds to pay for increased staff in Ukraine, and for security and travel to the region, as it reports on the growing political, economic, and military conflict.