Amid a wave of Republican initiatives to cut funding for public broadcasters, PBS has released a new poll demonstrating significant backing from Trump supporters.
According to Axios, The poll, internally conducted with YouGov and obtained by Axios, reveals that 65% of Trump voters believe PBS is either underfunded or sufficiently funded.
Why it matters: Eliminating PBS's budget would have dire consequences for the 54-year-old organization, with government funding making up approximately 15% of its total budget, which supports PBS and its numerous local stations.
By the numbers: The survey, which included over 2,000 participants with 792 identifying as Trump voters, found that 82% of all voters, including 72% of Trump voters, value PBS for its educational and children's programming. This year, PBS shifted to YouGov's methodology to better understand political party sentiments.
Noteworthy: While the Trump administration has criticized NPR for perceived biases, PBS has not faced similar accusations. However, last week, a Defense Department memo mandated that NPR, along with other major news outlets, vacate their long-standing offices in the Pentagon.
What to watch: Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has summoned the CEOs of NPR and PBS to testify before the DOGE subcommittee in March. The focus is on what Greene labels as "systemically biased content" from publicly funded media. This will be the first hearing of its kind for the subcommittee, highlighting its focus on media oversight.
What they're saying: PBS has expressed gratitude for bipartisan congressional support, emphasizing their noncommercial and nonpartisan contributions to local communities. They are eager to clarify their role in the upcoming hearing. NPR, on its part, stands by its commitment to impartial journalism, looking forward to discussing the importance of public media.
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