Public television programming distributor PBS says it will close an office within its organization that was focused on diversity, equity and inclusiveness (DEI) initiatives following an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month.
The order targeted DEI offices and initiatives at federal government agencies, with many closing down their DEI offices and placing workers hired to support the initiatives on indefinite leave.
PBS is not a part of the federal government — it operates as a not-for-profit distributor of TV programs to independently-operated, non-commercial and educational TV stations across the country. Those stations are counted as “members,” and pay PBS for the rights to air their shows, movies and documentaries on their stations. Most PBS member stations also air programming from other non-profit content distributors like American Public Media.
While PBS does not operate as a government agency, it receives some federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), as do most of its member stations. It wasn’t clear if the decision to close the DEI office within PBS was directly linked to its funding relationship with CPB. A memo sent by PBS CEO Paula Kerger on Monday did not mention the CPB or the organization’s federal funding, but affirmed the decision to close the office was directly related to Trump’s executive order.
“As we discussed at our recent Town Hall, since the President’s Executive Order about DEI was announced in January, we have been working with legal counsel to understand how this potentially affects our organization,” Kerger wrote in the memo. “To ensure that we are complying with the President’s Executive Order we have closed our DEI office, and Cecilia Loving and Gina Leow are leaving PBS. I know you join me in wishing them well in their future endeavors.”
“Our mission to educate, engage and inspire the wide variety of American communities we serve will continue to be at the center of our work, and we’ll also continue to ensure that PBS remains a welcoming place for everyone,” Kerger concluded.
Over the past few years, PBS and its radio counterpart, National Public Radio (NPR), have faced criticism from Trump and his political allies who perceive the programming distributors of creating shows with a progressive or left-of-center bias. Some conservative pundits and lawmakers have suggested significantlly reducing or entirely eliminating PBS and NPR funding through the CPB.
