Opinion: Public broadcasting needs to keep federal funding
Main Street Nashville Opinion

Rep. Andy Ogles has joined the growing political push to strip funding from NPR and PBS —a move that says more about silencing public voices than it does about reform.

Early on, Ogles threw his support behind the “No Propaganda Act” introduced by Rep. Scott Perry, which aims to eliminate federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and, by extension, NPR and PBS. On his platform, Ogles called PBS “anti‑American propaganda disguised as public broadcasting” and said he’d be “more than fine” ending federal funding.

Talk about a troubling shift as questioning public media has become an exercise in silencing, not reform.

Let’s be clear: NPR isn’t “biased” just because it doesn’t echo a politician’s rhetoric. Disagreeing with its coverage doesn’t make it left-leaning; more likely, it shows that NPR is holding steady in the center while some have drifted to the edges. The middle hasn’t shifted; leaders like Ogles have simply moved farther to the right — if that’s even possible.

For generations, programs on PBS like “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “Sesame Street” and “Arthur” have helped teach children not only how to read and count, but also how to treat others with compassion and respect. These shows were part of my childhood, and later, part of my children’s. I always felt peace knowing they were learning from trusted content that emphasized kindness and acceptance. That isn’t political. It’s not about left or right; it’s about right and wrong.

Public media also fills a vital role in communities with limited news options. NPR and PBS affiliates often provide the only local reporting, emergency alerts and educational content in rural Tennessee. Many of these stations are independently run yet depend heavily on federal funding through the CPB. Undermining that support doesn’t just destabilize national programming; it threatens to silence entire communities.

Supporters of the defunding effort argue that removing federal money would force public media to become more audience focused. That eliminating taxpayer funding would compel public broadcasters to listen to their community, not Congress. But ask yourself: who steps in when government funding disappears? Large private donors with specific agendas often fill the void. What’s billed as “more responsive” could easily turn into “less inclusive.”

There are far better ways to ensure fairness in public broadcasting. Lawmakers could commission a nonpartisan review of content to examine potential bias across the political spectrum. They could require greater editorial transparency or adjust CPB funding models to encourage accountability without erasing critical institutions. These steps are reasonable reforms far more so than eliminating an entire infrastructure over political discomfort.

It’s OK to scrutinize media bias. But when political targeting becomes central and real-world consequences are so severe, these discussions then move from accountability into authoritarianism. When the goal shifts from critique to eradication, instead of media accountability, we have censorship.

Public broadcasting isn’t infallible, but its impact on education, civic life and community connection is hard to overstate.

The No Propaganda Act doesn’t reform; it removes. Instead of inviting public dialogue, Ogles is pushing a plan that bulldozes trusted institutions under the pretense of fixing them. What needs to stop isn’t public media; it’s the effort to silence it, and to sidestep the voices of the very Americans these platforms were built to serve.

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State Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Nashville, represents House District 56 in the Tennessee General Assembly. Freeman is also the President of Freeman Webb Company in Nashville, a full-service real estate investment and management firm that specializes in the acquisition, management and rehabilitation of multi-family residential and commercial properties. 

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