The First Amendment to the United States Constitution strives to protect five fundamental freedoms. These freedoms include the freedom of speech, religion, assembly, the right to petition to the government, and freedom of the press. This amendment prevents Congress or any other branch of the government from passing laws that could hinder the public’s right to hold these freedoms.
During his inaugural address, President Trump promised the American people that the “Golden Age” of the United States was soon going to be upon us. Following this, he has since signed 217 executive orders prioritizing international trade, immigration, and fixing the inner workings of the Federal Government.
Now, after the first one hundred days of the second Trump administration, many have come to criticize the chain of executive orders Trump has signed. Some claim they violate the First Amendment as well as Trump’s oath to uphold the laws of the U.S Constitution. Lately, the executive order that has come under contention is Trump’s order to slash “the maximum amount” of federal funding for PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) and NPR (National Public Radio).
Both of these services are funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a non-profit, private organization established in 1967. The mission of the corporation is to fund and support media stations and allow them to produce higher quality content.
The President claims that both of the media organizations that would receive federal funding cuts support “biased and partisan news coverage” and produce “woke propaganda disguised as news.” Both corporations have repeatedly denied these claims, even with PBS President Paula Kerger stating that the federal funding cuts “threaten [their] ability to serve the American Public with educational programming.” In fact, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is currently in the process of suing Trump for his attempt to terminate three out of their five board members earlier in the week.
Even though the corporations receive over five hundred million dollars in federal funding every year, CPB is actually a privately owned organization that operates and receives donations from those independent of the government. In fact, at the end of programs funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting – such as shows on PBS – many viewers may recall a message thanking them for their contribution, which help make the continued operation of the station possible.
Despite the recent incidents, PBS has stated that they will work diligently to keep their programs running and to fend for their rights to provide essential news. The news of the defunding has touched many due to the profound impact watching PBS kids as a child provided to children across the country. PBS kids was officially introduced in 1999 and became a staple of growing up in the 2000s-2010s due to their popular children’s shows like Wild Kratts, Odd Squad, Arthur, and many others. With Hingham High School students growing up in the PBS kids generation, many have had opinions on the new executive order. Elie Gibson, a sophomore at Hingham High School has stated, “I am very disappointed that PBS is being defunded because it taught me a lot of valuable lessons and I loved watching their shows.” Sophomore Siena Messina agreed saying that “I used to love watching PBS Kids shows when I was younger.”
Despite the issue of the executive order, the President cannot have the final word over the fate of PBS and NPR. Both are likely to sue the Trump administration to get back their federal funding. Since the United States operates with three branches of government, orders like this are required to go through voting rounds and judicial rulings. At the moment, no final decision has been made regarding the order to defund the programs.
