American broadcast company National Public Radio (NPR) has filed a lawsuit challenging Donald Trump’s 1 May executive order to cease all federal funding to NPR and PBS.
NPR, alongside three other public radio stations, filed the lawsuit with NPR CEO Katherine Maher, stating that the executive order is a violation of constitutional and First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and freedom of the press.
“The Order threatens the existence of the public broadcasting system, upon which tens of millions of Americans rely for vital news, information, and emergency alerts,” she said in a statement.
The other stations joining NPR in the lawsuit are three of its station members: Aspen Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, and KSUT Public Radio. All three want Trump’s order permanently blocked and declared unconstitutional.
According to the statement, more than 43 million Americans listen to NPR every week through 379 public radio stations and more than 1,200 radio signals.
It “expressly aims to punish and control Plaintiffs’ news coverage and other speech the Administration deems ‘biased,’” attorneys for the news outlets wrote. “It cannot stand.”
NPR and the Public Broadcasting Network (PBS) have specifically vowed to challenge Trump’s executive order.
Despite this, PBS is not party to NPR’s recent lawsuit.
“PBS is considering every option, including taking legal action, to allow our organisation to continue to provide essential programming and services to member stations and all Americans,” PBS said in a statement.
