When Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina last fall, Blue Ridge Public Radio leapt into action. When cell service went down, they kept reporting. When power went out, they switched to a backup generator. When other reporters needed a place to work, they opened their doors.

Broadcasting for 12 hours or more each day and constantly updating their website, Blue Ridge Public Radio became a crucial source of information for a devastated community.

At Knight Foundation, where I’m president and CEO, we know that a well-informed public is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy. It’s why the free press is guaranteed in our Constitution, so that citizens have the information they need to make informed choices. And it’s why proposals to defund NPR and PBS — and by extension, thousands of public media stations across the country, which deliver reliable news to their communities — are not just misguided but dangerous.

Public media is one of the few civic institutions that still commands broad trust in an age of division and disinformation. Nearly twice as many Americans support continued federal funding for NPR and PBS as oppose it, according to a study conducted by

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