Overview
- CPB CEO Patricia Harrison asked Maher to acknowledge listener concerns about bias, then later told her to step down, according to reports attributed to the New York Times.
- Maher declined to concede bias and refused to resign, maintaining her stance that NPR’s reporting is not slanted.
- President Trump issued a May 1 executive order cutting public-media funding, and Congress voted in July to formalize the defunding.
- NPR sued the White House and named CPB in the case; after a restraining order and months of filings, a November settlement restored a $36 million contract, while the lawsuit continues.
- Reporting says CPB could shut down in January; NPR notes only about 1% of its revenue is direct federal funding and projects strong donations, though local stations remain vulnerable.