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    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Public Broadcasting on the Firing Line Once Again

    In the 1990's, Big Bird, Kermit and all their friends saved Bill Moyers, Frontline and the rest of public broadcasting from Republican budget cuts. But charges of liberal bias never went away. Last year, NPR's news analyst Juan Williams told Fox News he was "nervous" flying with passengers wearing "Muslim garb."

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    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    In the 1990's, Big Bird, Kermit and all their friends saved Bill Moyers, Frontline and the rest of public broadcasting from Republican budget cuts. But charges of liberal bias never went away. Last year, NPR's news analyst Juan Williams told Fox News he was "nervous" flying with passengers wearing "Muslim garb." When NPR fired him, Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans saw evidence of "a left-wing network." Since January, six bills have been introduced to defund public broadcasting once and for all. This week, Congress will vote on a measure that would withhold the remaining amount of the budget for this year. We hear from their critics and their supporters.

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Republicans Set Their Sights on NPR and PBS
    1. 0:00President Obama Holds Forth on Egypt, Budget Cuts
    2. 7:31Public Broadcasting on the Firing Line Once AgainYou’re reading this
    3. 42:59NYSE Merges with the Bourse
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • KCRW placeholder

      Paul Farhi

      Media Reporter for the Washington Post

    • KCRW placeholder

      Laura Walker

      President, New York Public Radio

    • KCRW placeholder

      Laurence Jarvik

      author, 'PBS behind the Screen'

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    2 of 3
    Republicans Set Their Sights on NPR and PBS
    1. 0:00President Obama Holds Forth on Egypt, Budget Cuts
    2. 7:31Public Broadcasting on the Firing Line Once AgainYou’re reading this
    3. 42:59NYSE Merges with the Bourse
    Back to To the Point