On May 1^st, 2025, Pres­i­dent Donald Trump signed an exec­u­tive order to defund PBS (Public Broad­cast­ing Service) and NPR (National Public Radio). For decades, these insti­tu­tions have provided free, acces­si­ble news, educa­tional content, and cultural program­ming to millions of Amer­i­cans. This includes iconic and staple shows and programs such as Sesame Street, PBS NewsHour, All Things Consid­ered, and Morn­ing Edition. The deci­sion to cut federal support isn’t just a finan­cial one– this raises seri­ous ques­tions about the value we place on inde­pen­dent media and equal access to infor­ma­tion. Students have had intense opin­ions against this order.

Senior Eric Valen­tine shared his thoughts: Cutting fund­ing for impact­ful chan­nels like PBS and NPR, which are watched by millions of people, espe­cially kids and fami­lies who can’t afford cable or stream­ing services, is insane. How are these people supposed to get their news, educa­tion, and culture otherwise?

Where else do you find shows like PBS NewsHour, Sesame Street, NOVA, or All Things Consid­ered? They aren’t flashy or filled with drama– they’re thought­ful, educa­tional, and real. And guess what? They’re free. That’s the whole point. The Trump admin­is­tra­tion claims that PBS and NPR lean too far left polit­i­cally and are no longer neces­sary in the digi­tal age. But for many communities–especially in rural areas–these are more than just media outlets. They’re life­lines. With­out federal fund­ing, PBS and NPR stations may not survive. That means fewer educa­tional programs for students, fewer reli­able news sources for fami­lies, and less access to thought­ful story­telling that doesn’t chase views or ad revenue.

Sopho­more Yerik Rojas Garcia said: “I don’t watch PBS every day or anything, but I grew up on shows like Arthur and Wild Kratts. It just feels wrong to take that away from kids who don’t have other options. Not every­thing has to be about politics.”

If we remove fund­ing from public media because it doesn’t fit one polit­i­cal narra­tive, what does that say about our prior­i­ties as a coun­try? Shouldn’t we be protect­ing spaces where truth, educa­tion, and creativ­ity come first–even if they aren’t the loud­est voices in the room?