Defend public broadcasting's vital role in American democracy

Public broadcasting serves a crucial democratic function that should transcend partisan politics. Major networks like PBS and NPR provide a trusted, commercial-free source of educational programming, emergency communications, and insightful journalism unavailable elsewhere. Millions rely on their unbiased reporting and diverse perspectives as an antidote to narrow corporate media narratives. These public institutions bind communities together through shared facts and civil discourse. Preserving their editorial independence and funding is vital for transparency, civic engagement, and holding power accountable across America. Attacking PBS and NPR undermines a free press and the enlightened citizenship every democracy requires to flourish. We must robustly defend public broadcasting as a bulwark protecting open inquiry and honest debate from suppression by any political or financial interests. The price of losing these civic guardians is far too high.