Facing defunding, NPR suddenly becomes a paragon of press freedom. This is the organization that froze out and fired their own whistleblower for not toeing the party line on Russiagate, Ukraine, and the Hunter Biden laptop.
“The FCC chair is clearly undertaking an effort to bully and intimidate independent journalism, which is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes where democracy is under siege,” said one critic.
U.S. press freedom advocates this week forcefully condemned Republican Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr’s investigation into National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service that could lead to stripping them of government funding.
“If they weren’t ringing already, alarm bells should be going off loudly,” said Tim Richardson, program director for journalism and disinformation at PEN America, in a Thursday statement. “By using its investigatory powers, the FCC chair is clearly undertaking an effort to bully and intimidate independent journalism, which is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes where democracy is under siege.”
