PRODUCTION - 24 October 2022, Hamburg: The characters Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street, taken in a photo studio on the occasion of Sesame Street's 50th anniversary. (Photo by Daniel Reinhardt/picture alliance via Getty Images)

On May 1, President Donald Trump signed an executive order cutting federal funding for NPR and PBS. The order specifically directs the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to "cease direct funding to NPR and PBS," which the President says is consistent with his administration's policy "to ensure that Federal funding does not support biased and partisan news coverage." In addition, the President has directed the CPB Board to decline to provide future funding and to "cease indirect funding to NPR and PBS, including by ensuring that licensees and permittees of public radio and television stations, as well as any other recipients of CPB funds, do not use Federal funds for NPR and PBS."

The order was no surprise—it was consistent with the President's March demand on Truth Social that funding for public broadcasting be halted. Back then, he posted: "NPR and PBS, two horrible and completely biased platforms (Networks!), should be DEFUNDED by Congress, IMMEDIATELY. Republicans, don't miss this opportunity to rid our Country of this giant SCAM, both being arms of the Radical Left Democrat Party. JUST SAY NO AND, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"

This is the part where I, as a tax lawyer working as a senior writer for Forbes and living in a big metropolitan area should be neutral and analytical.

But here's the thing: I was a PBS (Public Broadcasting System) kid. Our family, a conservative one living in rural North Carolina, was an NPR (National Public Radio) family. I am absolutely not neutral when it comes to this issue. And that's exactly why I'm writing about it.

PBS is a non-profit public broadcasting television network created in 1969. It is not a single entity but is comprised of member stations—there are more than 330 of those in the U.S. today. Those member stations can produce their own content or air programs produced by others. Certain programs are standard across the network, which is why we tend to associate PBS with specific shows. For example, you likely know PBS from shows like "NewsHour" and "Masterpiece" (the series that taught the U.S. to know and love "Downton Abbey").

The original mission of PBS was to provide access to programming, particularly to those in rural areas and those who could not afford to pay for private television channels. I........

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