Patricia Harrison's Final Remarks to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

"In a profound irony, it is precisely because public media remains so essential to American civic life that CPB’s final act must be to dissolve for the greater good."

Earlier today, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s final CEO, Patricia Harrison, delivered her last remarks to the board, just hours before the corporation shut down. Here’s what she said:

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Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Patricia Harrison,

CEO of Corporation for Public Broadcasting

January 29, 2026

THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR.

FOR GENERATIONS, AMERICANS HAVE SUPPORTED AND BENEFITED FROM NATIONAL AND LOCAL PUBLIC MEDIA. WHILE THE FEDERAL APPROPRIATION WAS NEVER TAKEN FOR GRANTED, FEW BELIEVED THAT ANY ADMINISTRATION WOULD SEEK TO ELIMINATE SUCH AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT OF OUR DEMOCRACY AND CIVIL SOCIETY.

AND AT FIRST MANY DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE DEFUNDING OF CPB MEANT.

FOR NEARLY 60 YEARS, CPB’S MANAGEMENT AND DEDICATED BOARDS OF DIRECTORS SERVED AS TRUE STEWARDS OF THE FEDERAL APPROPRIATION, REPORTING TO CONGRESS AND THE ADMINISTRATION HOW THESE FUNDS WERE BEING APPLIED IN WAYS THAT ENABLED LOCAL AND NATIONAL PUBLIC MEDIA TO THE EVOLVING INFORMATION, EDUCATIONAL, AND CIVIC NEEDS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

YEAR AFTER YEAR, NEIGHBORS IN RURAL AND URBAN COMMUNITIES AFFIRMED THE VALUE THEY RECEIVED FROM TRUSTED, CONTENT.

SO WHY WAS CPB DEFUNDED?

WAS IT A BURDEN TO THE TAXPAYER?

WAS THIS A COST SAVING MOVE?

NO. UNLIKE IN OTHER COUNTRIES WHERE CITIZENS ARE HEAVILY TAXED, FOR EXAMPLE THE BBC AND NHK. AMERICAN PUBLIC MEDIA REFLECTS THE FREE-ENTERPRISE AND VOLUNTEER ETHIC OF OUR CITIZENS. IT IS A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP—FOR $1.65 A YEAR IN TAXES —LESS THAN THE COST OF A CUP OF COFFEE, EVERY AMERICAN HAS ACCESS TO CONTENT THAT INSPIRES INDEPENDENT THINKING AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF AMERICANS LIVING IN A VIBRANT DEMOCRACY.

BUT IN THE WAKE OF CONGRESS’S DECISION TO DEFUND THE CPB, WE KNEW WE HAD A LIMITED TIME TO PROTECT A PROUD LEGACY AND THE IMPORTANT WORK PUBLIC MEDIA DOES EVERY DAY TO SERVE THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

THE LONGER CPB TRIED TO EXIST WITHOUT FUNDING, INCREASED THE PROSPECT THAT OF OUR REMAINING FUNDS WOULD NEVER REACH THE PUBLIC MEDIA SYSTEM ALREADY REELING FROM DEFUNDING.

WE WERE ALSO DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT FUNDING DIRECTED TO PUBLIC MEDIA COULD BECOME SUBJECT TO NEW CONTENT RESTRICTIONS—AND THAT COMPLIANCE WOULD FURTHER HARM STATIONS AND ERODE THE TRUST PUBLIC MEDIA HAS EARNED OVER DECADES.

IN A PROFOUND IRONY, IT IS PRECISELY BECAUSE PUBLIC MEDIA REMAINS SO ESSENTIAL TO AMERICAN CIVIC LIFE THAT CPB’S FINAL ACT MUST BE TO DISSOLVE FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

AFTER ALL OF THE POLITICAL ATTACKS AND CONGRESSIONAL DEFUNDING, WE RECOGNIZED A HARD TRUTH: WITHOUT FUNDING AND INDEPENDENCE, CPB RISKED BECOMING A LIABILITY TO PUBLIC MEDIA RATHER THAN A PROTECTOR OF IT—SOMETHING THAT LOOKED INTACT FROM THE OUTSIDE BUT WAS HOLLOW AT ITS CORE.

THE BOARD AND MANAGEMENT CAREFULLY ASSESSED THE REPUTATIONAL AND INSTITUTIONAL HARM THAT WOULD COME FROM COMPLIANCE.

WE HAD ALREADY TAKEN OUR STAND. CPB WAS THE FIRST ORGANIZATION TO SUE TO THIS ADMINISTRATION FOR ATTACKS ON PUBLIC MEDIA’S INDEPENDENCE AND WITHHOLDING OF CONGRESSIONAL-APPROPRIATED FUNDING. WE DID NOT COMPLY WITH EXECUTIVE DIRECTIVES THAT VIOLATED OUR MISSION OR STATIONS’ EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE AND WE CONTINUED TO FUND PBS AND NPR.

WE COULD HAVE SURVIVED BY COMPLYING WITH DEMANDS FOR POLITICAL CONTROL OVER NEWS COVERAGE, BY REWRITING HISTORY, BY LIMITING THE STORIES AND INFORMATION SHARED WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, BY ABANDONING DIVERSE TALENT, BY SUPPORTING CONTENT THAT INCREASES DIVISIVENESS THROUGH DISINFORMATION.

BUT THAT WAS NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN ON OUR WATCH AND THAT IS LESS THAN WHAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE DESERVE. I WANT TO THANK OUR LEADERSHIP AND COURAGE FROM THIS BOARD.

CPB WAS CREATED TO PROTECT EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE, AND THROUGH THAT CPB FUNDED KEN BURNS, FRONTLINE, DR HENRY LOUIS GATES, JOHN LEGUZAMO, AND MANY MORE. WE INVESTED MILLIONS TO STRENGTHEN JOURNALISM AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT, AND EDUCATED AMERICANS ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF CITIZENSHIP. WE NURTURED NEW AND DIVERSE VOICES TO TELL AMERICA’S STORY IN ALL ITS COMPLEXITY.

AND THAT WORK WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE PUBLIC MEDIA LEADERS AND A NATION OF NEIGHBORS.

OUR DECISIONS FOCUS ON THE FUTURE SUSTAINABILITY OF PUBLIC MEDIA AND A RE IMAGINING THAT IS INNOVATIVE AND INCLUDES A STRONG FIREWALL OF PROTECTION FOR CONTENT PROVIDERS, INCREASED TRANSPARENCY, AND INCLUSIVE OF DIVERSE OPINIONS.

SINCE JUST OCTOBER, CPB HAS GRANTED OVER $170 MILLION IN FUNDING TO THE PUBLIC MEDIA SYSTEM, IN GRANT DECISIONS THAT FOCUSED ON SUSTAINING PUBLIC MEDIA’S MISSION, LEGACY, AND SERVICE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. I WANT THANK CPB STAFF AND OUR BOARD FOR THIS INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT.

WE HAVE MADE STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS THAT PRESERVE PUBLIC MEDIA’S LEGACY AND STRENGTHEN ITS FUTURE—SAFEGUARDING THE AMERICAN ARCHIVE OF PUBLIC BROADCASTING SO OUR SHARED CIVIC HISTORY ENDURES; SUSTAINING NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF LOCALLY PRODUCED PROGRAMMING THROUGH AMERICAN PUBLIC TELEVISION; SUPPORTING TRUSTED, RESEARCH-BACKED EDUCATIONAL CONTENT LIKE CARL THE COLLECTOR; COMMEMORATING THE NATION’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY THROUGH STORYCORPS BY CAPTURING VOICES FROM ACROSS AMERICA; AND ADVANCING RIGOROUS RESEARCH THAT DOCUMENTS PUBLIC MEDIA’S IMPACT AND ROLE IN SUPPORTING OUR DEMOCRACY.

THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC MEDIA AND OUR NATION DEPENDS ON EACH OF YOU. IT DEPENDS ON OUR COLLECTIVE ABILITY TO LOOK UPON THE NEXT EVOLUTION OF MEDIA — TO AND ENSURE THEY ARE HARNESSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF EDUCATING AND CONNECTING ALL PEOPLE. IT DEPENDS ON ALL OF US, ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WORKING TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT PUBLIC MEDIA SURVIVES. TOGETHER, WE WILL PROVE THAT A NATION OF NEIGHBORS WILL SURVIVE.

IT HAS AN HONOR TO BE PART OF CPB’S WORK AND LEGACY, AND TO WORK ALONGSIDE CPB’S DEDICATED BOARD, STAFF, AND ESPECIALLY MY BATTLE BUDDY PAULA KERGER, WHO ALWAYS PUTS PUBLIC MEDIA ABOVE SELF.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, YOUR COURAGE, AND YOUR UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THIS MISSION.

MADAME CHAIR, THIS CONCLUDES MY REMARKS. HOWEVER, I WANT TO THANK YOU AND VICE CHAIR SEMBLER ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR COMMITMENT AND INTEGRITY. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONES GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE. PLEASE WATCH THESE VIDEOS FROM OUR COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE SYSTEM.

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