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Federal Funding Update
Join the Public Editor's Focus Group Now. We want your opinion.
As of July 18, both chambers of Congress have approved President Trump's proposal to take back two years' worth of public media government funding that an earlier Congress had already approved. The package now goes to the president's desk for signature.
The PBS Public Editor's office is asking viewers like you, what should be 'Plan B' for PBS in the fight to keep producing high-quality programming that continues to serve all Americans? How can PBS appeal to even more members of the public to help sustain its mission?
Click here to join the group.
Diversity, Media and Democratic Institutions in the Crosshairs
Interview with Ricardo Sandoval-Palos at San Francisco Public Press
(Still shot from video by Teo Valadez-Flynn/San Francisco Public Press)
PBS Public Editor Ricardo Sandoval-Palos joins Lila LaHood, Executive Director of the San Francisco Public Press on April 30, 2025, for a conversation about attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion, and threats to democracy and the media.
Resources to Help You Identify Misinformation and Disinformation
A community conversation with border journalists on how mis/disinformation impacts our democracy. Sponsored by PBS El Paso, a service of Texas Tech University, in Oct. 2024
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Spotlight on Media
House Approves Budget Clawbacks, Sealing the Deal
July 18, 2025—The U.S. House gave final approval to President Trump’s $9 billion rescission of foreign aid and public media funding in an early morning vote Friday. The measure now goes to the president’s desk for signature.
Senate Passes Public Media Funding Clawback
July 17, 2025—The U.S. Senate approved President Trump’s proposed rescission of two years’ worth of government support for public broadcasting in a vote Thursday morning. The measure then moves to the House for a final vote.
Former PBS publicist Carrie Lane Johnson dies at 68
Carrie Lane Johnson, a former member of PBS’ communications department, who had a 40-year career at the Service, has died at the age of 68.
News Deserts
Do you live in a ‘news desert’? The University of North Carolina’s Hussman School of Journalism looks at the growing gaps in news coverage left by the closures of local newspapers around the country. The report is available here.
MacArthur Foundation to Give
$500 million to Local News Effort
A coalition of philanthropies led by the MacArthur Foundation is offering $500 million as a lifeline to struggling local news operations, The Washington Post reported. It is the largest single philanthropic commitment to journalism to date.
American Newspapers Keep Closing and ‘News Deserts’ Keep Growing
(June 29, 2022) Washington Post media critic Margaret Sullivan writes that one-third of U.S. newspapers will that existed two decades ago will be out of business by 2025, according to research made public from Northwestern University’s Medill School.
Link to media release about the study and related multimedia downloads here.
Nonprofit Newsrooms a Promising New Model for Local News, Writes Margaret Sullivan
(Jan. 22, 2022) Washington Post media columnist Margaret Sullivan writes that nonprofit newsrooms like the Texas Tribune, show promise as a prospective new model for struggling local news.
Family-run Iowa Newspaper Spotlighted in PBS Doc About Local Journalism
A documentary about the struggles of local journalism – think newspapers that cover the daily news of a town like Storm Lake, Iowa (population: 10,000) – airs the week of Nov. 15 on PBS. The Storm Lake Times, the subject of the film, is the second smallest news organization ever to win a Pulitzer Prize. It fills a vital need in this rural community. Poynter has a write-up on the project, as does The Houston Press.
Nonprofit Newsrooms Increasingly Filling Local News Void
The latest Institute for Nonprofit News survey, known as the INN Index, found that a growing portion of nonprofit newsrooms are dedicated to local public affairs, Neiman Labs reported.
When Texas Border Town Lost Its Only Paper, Local Start-up Filled Void
When the Southwestern border town of Del Rio, Texas, lost its only newspaper, a local man stepped in with an investment in print, turning his event-oriented website into a news outlet with a print edition. He’s helping fight back against the encroaching edges of a news desert.
...more on 'News Deserts' and what PBS can do about them (older coverage)
Against the growing phenomena of news deserts in the United States – areas where local news outlets have failed or have been gutted by the loss of ad revenue – PBS is being called upon to act. One suggested remedy is overhauling the way the Corporation for Public Broadcasting issues grants for public affairs programming, from a Washington, DC -based metric to spending decided by local news producers. ...
Why ‘Withering’ of Local News Landscape is Dangerous for Democracy
(Sept. 1, 2020) PBS NewsHour interviews media critic Margaret Sullivan of The Washington Post about so-called news deserts and what they mean for U.S. democracy.