The extremists have ceased the opportunity to destroy one of the few media outlets not relegated to rants and sound-bytes.
Please sign the petition below --
It's frightening how quickly the call to defund NPR moved from ranting on Fox News Channel to proposed legislation that would eliminate funding for all public broadcasting. Thankfully, tens of thousands of people are standing up for NPR and PBS against such extreme measures.
Already, more than 40,000 people have joined our mass action to protect funding for public media. Can you help us reach our goal of 60,000 by taking action today? Don't let political extremists destroy public media.
Thank you — Josh
Yesterday, Sarah Palin called on Congress to cut all funds for National Public Radio. Palin wrote that we should "defund" NPR after it fired news analyst Juan Williams for comments he made on Fox News Channel disparaging Muslims.
Palin set off a firestorm that spread from extreme right-wing blogs to Bill O'Reilly to Capitol Hill. Later today, South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint plans to introduce legislation that would slash all funds to one of the last, best sources of journalism we have in America.
This is crazy. But with your help, we can stop it in its tracks.
Calling for Congress to defund NPR is nothing more than political opportunism by public figures who have built a career on such shenanigans. Regardless of what you think about Juan Williams' dismissal, calling for the defunding of NPR as a result is like asking for the death penalty in small claims court.
NPR plays a crucial role in America, providing original, in-depth journalism and educational programming. With commercial newspapers, radio and television stations cutting staff and scaling back on original reporting, the need for a robust public media system has never been greater.
People everywhere need to take a stand and tell our leaders to stop playing politics with our nation's public media system:
Take Action: Don't Let Sarah Palin Destroy Public Media
The United States already has one of the lowest levels of federal funding of public media in the developed world — at just $1.43 per capita. Yet surveys show that the public considers NPR and PBS not just our most trusted news sources, but the most valued public institutions we have.
Please take a moment and join tens of thousands of others who are defending NPR and standing up to Sarah Palin and extremists. Sign our public letter to Congress and forward this e-mail to all of your friends.
Thank you,
Josh Silver
President and CEO
Free Press Action Fund
1. "NPR Axes, Fox Defends Williams over Muslim Remarks": http://act2.freepress.net/go/475?akid=1887.9235348.1oP3d9&t=11
2. "Sarah Palin, Jim Demint Take Aim at NPR Funding": http://act2.freepress.net/go/476?akid=1887.9235348.1oP3d9&t=13
Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Learn more at www.freepress.net
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