President Donald Trump has made his views on public media clear since day one. In his second term, he has made a tremendous effort in defunding public media stations. PBS had to eliminate around 100 positions in public broadcasting after the $1 billion funding cut due to the Trump administration’s efforts.
Trump has villainized the public media, making himself a victim of “fake news.” Instead of reforming “biased” media, he has chosen to gut media entirely from the ground up. The end goal is for him to be the only credible source left.
Public media is essential to a thriving community, survival and education. Three things one would think leaders of a country would prioritize, but Trump defunds them. Defunding public radio puts coastal towns at great risk during hurricane season, for example. “Widespread power, cellular and internet outages meant that for thousands of North Carolinians, public radio was how they received their news,” North Carolina Rep. Alma Adams said to NPR.
There is no “right” or “wrong” media. There is biased media and strictly false media, but Trump tackles any media that doesn't directly align with his perspective. This is not the media's job. Our job is to report the truth from the perspective of the community or specific interviews. We research topics, aiming to gain an understanding of how certain events affect our nation and community.
The media makes mistakes, the media isn't perfect, but it was never designed to be. The media will forever be a large gray area of different perspectives and opinions, which is what makes it valuable.
Access to media is a basic right for people to understand their own perspective and form an opinion best suited to their morals. Trump is attempting the impossible, trying to funnel media into a single idea that follows a perspective only he can visualize.
Ohio University’s student media organizations are directly affected by the budget cuts. WOUB, a public media organization based in Athens, is specifically affected. Losing approximately $1.75 million in federal funding, WOUB, NPR and PBS are scrambling to stay afloat amid the loss.
Local media stations like WOUB are a part of what makes OU a top journalism school. Students get hands-on experience in media during their college career before graduation.
Student organizations are a huge part of how the community gets its news as well. Without proper funding, not only will students be missing out on hands-on experience, but the local community will lose vital sources of media.
NPR has encouraged donors to focus on rural areas, which will be affected most by budget cuts. Without access to local media, rural areas cannot be aware of what is happening in their own communities. Media will become dominated by stations run by the wealthiest people, making media a one-sided perspective and available only to those who have the privilege to even afford it.
In an era of increased social media usage, as much as Trump tries, he won't be able to erase any commentary that seemingly goes against his policies. Citizens can constantly inform people on the internet about what is happening. Defunding the media doesn't provide any benefits for the U.S.; it only allows Trump to attempt to gain control of public opinion.
Grace Schmidt is a sophomore studying journalism and fashion merchandising at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Grace about her column? Email her at gs326823@ohio.edu
