Sun Jul 06 15:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Ken Burns Decries Potential PBS Funding Cuts as “Shortsighted”

**Washington D.C. -** Famed filmmaker Ken Burns is speaking out against proposed federal funding cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), warning that the move is “foolhardy” and disproportionately impacts rural communities reliant on PBS.

In an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Burns responded to the White House’s recent actions targeting public media. These actions include President Trump’s May executive order instructing the CPB to cease federal funding for PBS and NPR, followed by a House-approved request to claw back $1.1 billion from the CPB in June. The White House has alleged that these entities spread “radical, woke propaganda disguised as news.”

Burns, whose upcoming documentary “The American Revolution” is slated to air on PBS in November, expressed deep concern for the future of the public broadcaster. He emphasized PBS’s crucial role in providing educational programming for children, continuing education resources, homeland security information, agricultural reports, and vital weather emergency updates, particularly in rural areas where PBS signals may be the only available source of information. “Are we going to take that away?” he questioned.

The filmmaker also highlighted the vital role PBS has played in his own career, noting that his in-depth documentaries, often requiring years of research and production, wouldn’t be feasible without the support of public broadcasting. “I couldn’t do any of the films I’ve done without them being on PBS,” he stated, emphasizing that streaming services or cable channels would not offer the necessary long-term commitment.

Burns likened PBS to the Declaration of Independence applied to the communications world, an institution that represents everyone from the bottom up. He concluded by saying that these cuts are “throwing the baby out with the bath water” and that the current funding model allows PBS to be a truly American institution. The Senate is expected to take up the funding package in the coming weeks.

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