PBS, NPR heads to testify on ‘demonstrably biased news coverage’ before House DOGE subcommittee

The hearing is titled, “Anti-American Airwaves: Holding the heads of NPR and PBS Accountable," and the CEOs "will be asked to explain why the demonstrably biased news coverage they produce for an increasingly narrow and elitist audience should continue to be funded by the broad taxpaying public," a press release from the Oversight Committee said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who chairs the subcommittee, said, “I want to hear why NPR and PBS think they should ever again receive a single cent from the American taxpayer. These partisan, so-called ‘media’ stations dropped the ball on Hunter Biden’s laptop, down-played COVID-19 origins, and failed to properly report the Russian collusion hoax."

"Federal taxpayers should not be forced to pay for one-sided reporting, which attacks over half the country to protect and promote its own political interests. I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to stop allowing the blatant misuse of taxpayer funds for partisan ends," she later added.

The New York Times reported that the heads of the government-funded media originations, Paula Kerger, the chief executive of PBS, and Katherine Maher, the chief executive of NPR, are answering questions with lawyers in order to prepare for the hearing. Greene has said that she is in support of defunding the media organizations.

Kerger said that for PBS, "The future of a number of our stations across the country will be in jeopardy if this funding is not continued," adding that for PBS, "everything is at stake."

“As a member of the public media system, we know that federal funding is essential to ensuring all of America can hear and be heard on a truly national network,” Maher said in a statement about the upcoming hearing on March 26.

NPR has previously been blasted by one of its veteran reporters, Uri Berliner, who said that the government-sponsored media institution went from its respected status to being filled with left-wing activists. "Race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace," Berliner explained about the era of George Floyd's death.

Maher has also been slammed online for left-wing social media posts and conservatives have called for the media organizations to get audited before. The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday at 10 am.