On Friday, PBS initiated legal proceedings against President Donald Trump in an attempt to prevent the cessation of federal funding aimed at the public broadcaster.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., argues that both the U.S. Constitution and federal laws established over 50 years ago explicitly prohibit Trump from defunding PBS or determining its programming, according to the complaint.
This legal action comes just three days after NPR took similar steps against Trump and his administration.
A spokesperson for PBS expressed to Finance Newso, “After careful deliberation, PBS reached the conclusion that it was necessary to take legal action to safeguard public television’s editorial independence, and to protect the autonomy of PBS member stations.”
PBS and its affiliated station in Minnesota are seeking judicial invalidation of Trump’s May 1 executive order, which instructs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and all executive agencies to “cease Federal funding for NPR and PBS.”
In his directive, Trump criticized government funding for media as “outdated and unnecessary,” arguing it undermines the perception of journalistic independence. He also accused both PBS and NPR of not providing a “fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens.”
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