JONATHAN TURLEY: End NPR's taxpayer-funded gravy train

"This is NPR." That tagline has long been used for National Public Radio, but what it is remains remarkably in doubt. NPR remains something of a curiosity. It is a state-subsidized media outlet in a country that rejects state media. It is a site that routinely pitches for its sponsors while insisting that it does not have commercials. That confusion may be on the way to a final resolution following the election. NPR is about to have a reckoning with precisely what it is and what it represents.

While I once appeared regularly on NPR, I grew more critical of the outlet as it became overtly political in its coverage and intolerant of opposing views.

NPR and PBS are facing calls for the subsidy to be removed at long last. However, at the same time, pressure is coming from the Federal Communications Commission. FCC Chair Brendan Carr is inquiring about NPR's claim that it does not do commercial advertising.

Many of us have noticed that NPR has ramped up its sponsor statements with taglines about the products or firm's clientele. Carr wrote, "I am concerned that NPR and PBS broadcasts could be violating federal law by airing commercials. In particular, it is possible that NPR and PBS member stations are broadcasting underwriting announcements that cross the line into prohibited commercial advertisements."

Noncommercial educational broadcast stations, or NCEs, are prohibited under Section 399B of the Communications Act from airing commercials or other promotional announcements on behalf of for-profit entities. 

"Across platforms, NPR sponsor messages are governed by slightly different regulations, but the guiding spirit is the same: guidelines are less about what's "allowed" and more about the approach that works best for brands to craft sponsor recognition messages that connect with people in 'the NPR way,'" read the guidelines.

The thrust of NPR's pitch to advertisers is that this is a different type of pitch to attract more customers. However, the federal government has long ignored the obvious commercial advertisement. 

There is little discernible difference between NPR and competitors beyond pretense when it comes to bias or promotions. What is striking is how NPR's shrinking audience righteously opposes any effort to cut off public subsidies. While dismissing the values or views of half the country, they expect those citizens to support its programming. What would the reaction be if Congress ordered the same subsidy for more popular competitors like Fox Radio?

It is time to establish a bright-line rule against government subsidies for favored media outlets. "This is NPR" but it is not who we should be as a nation.