Legal challenge argues First Amendment violations and breach of Public Broadcasting Act…
National Public Radio, along with three Colorado-based public radio stations — Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio — is suing the Trump administration over a new executive order aimed at cutting off federal funding to public broadcasters.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, targets Executive Order 14290 — signed by President Donald Trump on May 1 — which instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and all federal agencies to stop distributing funds to NPR and PBS.
NPR and its co-plaintiffs argue that the order is a retaliatory move against the network for what they describe as unfavorable coverage, calling it a violation of First Amendment protections for speech and press. NPR CEO Katherine Maher described the measure as “viewpoint-based discrimination” intended to punish editorial decisions.
Maher herself faced a congressional grilling in March to answer questions about the outlet’s failure — or unwillingness — to cover the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
“I do want to say that NPR acknowledges we were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively or sooner,” Maher said during testimony before the House Oversight Committee’s Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
As the New York Post reports:
“The Order’s objectives could not be clearer: the Order aims to punish NPR for the content of news and other programming the President dislikes and chill the free exercise of First Amendment rights by NPR and individual public radio stations across the country,” attorneys representing the radio stations wrote in the 43-page filing.
“The Order is textbook retaliation and viewpoint-based discrimination in violation of the First Amendment, and it interferes with NPR’s and the Local Member Stations’ freedom of expressive association and editorial discretion,” they said.
On May 1, Trump ordered federal funding yanked from NPR and Public Broadcasting Service, arguing: “Government funding of news media in this environment is not only outdated and unnecessary but corrosive to the appearance of journalistic independence.”
The president had railed that the “two horrible and completely biased platforms … should be DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY,” in a March 27 Truth Social post.
Lawsuit Cites Public Broadcasting Act of 1967
The plaintiffs also claim that Trump’s directive violates the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which was designed to insulate public media from political pressure by establishing the CPB as an independent entity. By attempting to override that structure, NPR argues, the executive order undermines the statutory protections that allow public media outlets to operate without interference from the White House or Congress.
Although NPR receives only about 1% of its direct funding from the CPB, the broader network of more than 1,500 local public media stations relies heavily on federal support, particularly in rural areas. If the order holds, many of these stations could face cutbacks or closures.
Context: Broader Push to Defund Public Media
The executive order fits into a wider effort by conservative lawmakers and policy advocates to reduce or eliminate federal funding for public media. Critics argue that taxpayer dollars should not support outlets that appear to take editorial stances — especially ones perceived as consistently hostile to conservative viewpoints.
The White House has not yet commented on the lawsuit. But this legal clash adds to a string of recent disputes between Trump and publicly funded media outlets, including ongoing challenges to his efforts to replace CPB board members with allies.
Questions Over Objectivity and Domestic Influence
Some supporters of the order point to longstanding concerns about bias in public broadcasting. A 2023 study from the Media Research Center found that 65% of NPR’s political coverage portrayed conservative figures negatively, compared to 22% for liberal counterparts. Such findings have amplified calls to revisit federal laws governing media funding and distribution.
One law frequently cited is the Smith-Mundt Act. Originally passed in 1948 to restrict U.S. government-funded broadcasters like Voice of America from targeting domestic audiences, it was partially repealed in 2012. That change, introduced under the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act, allowed government-backed media to be made available in the U.S. upon request. Critics argue this opened the door for potential government influence on domestic public media — including NPR — and fuels support for reevaluating public funding altogether.
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