Michigan Attorney General supports lawsuits to preserve public media

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has signed onto a legal brief alongside 22 other attorneys general to support lawsuits brought by the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio that are attempting to block federal funding cuts to their organizations.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May to cut federal funding for NPR and PBS, stating in the order that “neither entity presents a fair, accurate, or unbiased portrayal of current events to taxpaying citizens”.

Since then, NPR and PBS filed two separate lawsuits arguing the funding cuts threaten the First Amendment and create public safety hazards for citizens served by their local affiliates who rely on public media for weather, health and safety alerts.

Forum highlights cost defunding public media has on emergency alerts, educational programming

The brief Nessel and other attorneys general filed last week backs the arguments made by public media and warns of the harm that could come from weakening public media programming and infrastructure.

“Public media is a vital source of independent information for countless Michiganders and Americans, especially in rural communities, where it is often the only option available,” Nessel said in a news release Monday.

Law enforcement depends on public media when issuing AMBER Alerts to find abducted children, as well as Silver Alerts for missing elderly individuals or individuals with developmental disabilities, the legal brief outlines. Public broadcasters provide critical coverage of emerging public safety threats like active shooters, especially in news deserts where public media may be the only resource to quickly disseminate information, the brief adds.

The public media stations in Michigan, many serving rural communities outside of many news outlets’ coverage areas, also provide emergency information that help residents navigate extreme weather of other crises, Nessel’s news release said. 

“Attempts to defund public journalism are a blatant attack on the press and the First Amendment, and a disservice to the people who rely on it every day,” Nessel said. “Public radio reaches nearly every corner of our state, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues and with public media in defense of this essential news source.”