Call me "old-fashioned" but I think it's a bad idea for gov to fund the media

USAID was caught paying half a billion dollars ($472.6m) through a secretive US government financed NGO, "Internews Network" (IN), which has “worked with” 4,291 media outlets.

For at least three decades, I've wondered why U.S. taxpayers fund the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR). I didn't always think this way. At one time, I enjoyed it.

While I occasionally watched a PBS program, I regularly listened to NPR years ago. At the time, I had a job requiring lots of travel by car across Michigan. Many hours to fill. No CD players at the time in my company cars.

My favorite programs included "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" with Cokie Roberts, Linda Wertheimer, and Nina Totenberg. They entertained and informed … or so I thought.

What Changed for Me

I sensed an overt bias over time, particularly during the Reagan Administration. It seemed they had no use for anything coming out of the White House in those years. Yet the President was receiving popular support for many of his policies. And rarely was there someone talking about "the other side" of the issues on NPR.

Over time, while they covered all the major political events and world/domestic news, I sensed a growing lack of impartiality, which they tried less and less to hide.

As I expanded my sources for news in the 1990s, I could see there were often multiple views on any subject. Rush Limbaugh, another popular program then, was entertaining, informative, and sometimes biased. Some local AM radio "talk" stations at night in Grand Rapids also provided interesting views and insights.

The Sniff Test

One skill I developed was to learn how to listen.

I sought opposing views on important stories, which gave me a chance to think about certain factors that would help me decide. For example, was the reporting genuinely independent? Who was funding them? Was there an incentive of some kind to skew the way it was reported? Oftentimes, the answer around incentives was "Yes."

Eventually, I significantly reduced or entirely gave up reading and listening to those sources that seemed one-sided, such as the public broadcasting stations and networks, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other major media. I adopted a "listen to all, but follow none" approach to news and events.

Why Government Funding of the Media Must End

There is no level of funding from a government agency to a newspaper, magazine, or media outlet that does not cause the media to bias the information they provide in some minor or significant way. None. Including advertising.

Just look at the situation we have today with Pfizer. They fund television, radio, magazines, and even political events and political parties. None of the recipients wanted the gravy train to stop, so when COVID-19 treatments were rolled out, only the independent media reported on the dangers and lack of health benefits. Everyone else knew their funding would be pulled, and they would be publically discredited.

With nearly a half-billion U.S. Government dollars going to over 4,000 domestic and international media outlets each year, they've become very dependent on continuing to receive those funds. What is the result?

Our media is trapped into reporting whatever their funders tell them is the "truth." And they have little incentive to challenge it or fund their own journalists. To wit:

• Trump is a dictator and will end Democracy in our country.

• The Russians started the Ukraine conflict and helped to steal our election.

• This experimental injection is "safe and effective."

• Elon Musk is promoting the Nazi salute.

• The F.B.I. had no role in stirring up the J6 participants.

There are too many lies to recount here. I'm pointing out that the U.S. media must find a way to fund itself. Our country is broke, and we can no longer afford to pay hundreds of millions to spin half-truths here or overseas.

The priorities for America have changed. Will our officials come on board with needed reforms? Can we allow our taxes to fund what is characterized as a massive propaganda media matrix?

And by the way, the longtime CEO of Internews, Jeanne Bourgault, was VP of Programs at USAID and worked for Rockefeller, Ford, the World Economic Forum, Skoll, and the United Nations. Bourgault apparently used her USAID funding to promote the "Globalist One World Order" agenda as the organization is interlocked with Pilgrims Society members, according to Americans4Innovation.

** Post Script **

NPR, headquartered in Washington, D.C. has a $340 million budget, according to Wikipedia.

PBS was incorporated in 1969 and has since established sub-organizations including a foundation and an LLC to pursue a broader financing base. With a $722 million budget in 2024, PBS gets about $128 million in grants and contributions. Their financial statements say that the company receives funding from the U.S. government, individuals, and organizations for both direct and indirect program costs. Funding from the U.S. government is subject to contractual restrictions, which must be met through the performance of program activities or from incurring qualifying expenses for programs.