Abandoning Public Media Is a Threat to Public Health

Defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting endangers every American community

By Allyn Brooks-LaSure

For an Administration that is kicking millions off their health plans and demolishing federal health agencies, killing funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is sadly on-brand. What fewer may predict is the devastating impact this punitive, starkly political move may have on the health of American communities.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy unleashed destruction on New York City. Two million homes lost power and more than a million people lost cell service, the nation’s largest public school and subway systems shut down for days, and buildings across all five boroughs were damaged or destroyed. But while the storm plunged much of the city into prolonged darkness, one light stayed on: WNYC, a member station of National Public Radio. Residents shared survival tips during call-in shows. Production teams created interactive maps of evacuation zones. And when Sandy made landfall, well-positioned engineering teams and an emergency generator kept the station’s signal running, allowing reporters to keep residents apprised of the latest storm developments and safety concerns. 

WNYC’s story is the rule, not the exception. For millions of families—particularly those in rural, tribal, and other underserved communities—public broadcasting outlets are a first line of defense for protecting lives and health during emergencies. Slashing public broadcasting funding to “own” the “woke media” will be the ultimate self-own, with potentially fatal consequences—because it will imperil the very lives of the people this Administration claims to represent.

In the wake of the recent catastrophic flooding in Texas, Texas Public Radio is keeping the community informed with up-to-the-minute updates on essential services and community gatherings. Just a few days ago, KUCB, a public radio station in Alaska, provided real-time alerts on tsunami warnings following an earthquake in the remote Aleutian Islands. When Hurricane Helene wrecked parts of western North Carolina last year, Blue Ridge Public Radio “worked around the clock to provide updates on shelter openings, flood reports, power restoration timelines and emergency instructions.” A decade ago, Michigan Public Radio worked directly with residents to expose the Flint water crisis and hold public officials there accountable for their failures to act.  

Beyond their essential public service during natural disasters, public broadcasting is filling the gap as Americans are steadily and alarmingly losing access to credible news sources. The U.S. has experienced a net decline of 3,300 local newspapers over the past two decades; today, more than half of counties in the United States have one or no local news outlets. Remote and underserved communities are most affected: less than 15% of digital-only news sites are in non-metro areas, and only 4% are in counties where median household income is under $50,000.   

The growth of “news deserts” has major health repercussions. A 2024 report from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute found that U.S. counties where information is less accessible tend to have poorer health outcomes. When local news disappears, lives are at risk, because public health officials and experts lose a critical tool for spotting and stopping disease outbreaks before they spread.

Since 1985, RWJF, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has supported national public broadcasting outlets like NPR and PBS, along with local affiliates, including WNYC, Alaska Public Radio, and the Koahnic Broadcasting Corporation. We will proudly continue that support, even and especially amid the federal government’s retreat. We urge other public and private sources of funding to do their part. But no amount of philanthropy can fully replace the critical role of public funding in keeping people informed and communities prepared. In a world of responsible and selfless democratic governance, philanthropy would never be forced to assume that role. But our current reality is far from that.

Public media reflects the kind of society we should aspire to be—one where health is no longer a privilege but a right, and one where safety and community wellbeing take precedence over politics, profit, and self-promotion. When WNYC kept its lights on and remained on-air through Superstorm Sandy, it embodied those principles. This Administration could learn a thing or two from that example. But instead of seeing the light, they shamefully decided to turn it off.

---

Allyn Brooks-LaSure is chief communications officer and vice president for communications programs at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.