Dear Congress,
It’s despicable to think that you might do away with the important resources of NPR, PBS, and public radio on which we rely for unbiased news, education for our children, and in-depth reporting about the world in which we live.
These are all qualities that one is hard-pressed to find in the mainstream media, especially with conservative businessmen like Rupert Murdoch advancing his own agenda with FOX News.
Quality journalism is a dying breed and I urge you NOT to cut funding for public broadcasting.
You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how Congress is slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it’s actually true. (Really. Check at the bottom if you don’t believe me.)
Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:
http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?t=1
A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS, starting with “Sesame Street,” “Reading Rainbow,” and other commercial-free children’s shows. If approved, this would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster, and Oscar the Grouch.
The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year — $100 million — and end funding altogether within two years. The loss could kill beloved children’s shows like “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” “Arthur,” and “Postcards from Buster.” Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might not survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate sponsorships.
The next vote on the cuts will take place today (Thursday). Help us reach 500,000 signatures to be delivered to the committee members.
http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?t=2
Thanks!
P.S. Read the Washington Post report on the threat to NPR and PBS at:
1 response so far ↓
1 gabe // Jun 16, 2005 at 2:49 pm
New York Times / Squelching Public Broadcasting
“Republican lawmakers insist that the budget cuts are only one of many sacrifices required for fiscal discipline – a truly laughable contention from a Congress that has broken all records for deficit spending and borrowing. The pending highway bill alone has 3,800 pet projects (cue Porky Pig, not Oscar the Grouch). These include $2 billion-plus for two ludicrous “bridges to nowhere” in rural Alaska, where, incidentally, station officials say public broadcasting may fade from the air unless the Senate blocks the House’s spiteful cuts.”