When Hurricane Helene walloped North Carolina last fall, residents were hit by a second threat at the same time: the dire need for accurate information.

The loss of electric power amid the widespread flooding meant that people – especially those in isolated areas – were deprived of basic news. They needed to know about everything from road closures to the whereabouts of their family and friends to sources of drinkable water.

Blue Ridge Public Radio stepped into the breach.

Residents used car batteries or crank-powered radios to listen to the station’s daily broadcast, as the editorial staff stayed on the air for long hours, sometimes sleeping on the floor of the Asheville-based newsroom.

It was one example of how public media serves its audience, especially those in rural or small-town America, and especially at times of crisis.

But with the Trump administration’s draconian push to “claw back” more than a billion dollars in already approved funds for public radio and television, that service is threatened as never before. It’s up to Congress to decide whether to agree to that demand or to allow the next two years of funding to stand.

“This would disproportionately harm rural areas and smaller communities, where public media really is a lifeline,” said Tim Richardson of PEN America, the non-profit organization that........

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