FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: March 17, 2011
Contact: Jenn Ettinger, 202-265-1490 x 35

WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, the House voted 228 to 192 to approve a bill (H.R. 1076) that would eliminate federal funding for NPR and prohibit local stations from using federal funds to purchase NPR programming.

Craig Aaron, managing director of the Free Press Action Fund, made the following statement:

"This vote shows that the People's House has stopped listening to the people. Vast majorities of Americans from across the political spectrum support federal funding for public broadcasting, and millions of them have called and written Congress in just the past few weeks.

"It is shameful that so many members voted to deny their own communities a vital source of news, information and entertainment. Congress should be spending its time creating jobs and putting Americans back to work, not grandstanding to punish an organization relied on every day by the people who put them in office.

"Scapegoating one of our nation's most trusted sources of news and information must stop here. We cannot allow the political agendas of a few to override the importance of NPR and community radio to hundreds of millions of Americans. We hope the Senate rejects this bill and returns to working on the real problems our country faces."

Free Press is a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media. Free Press does not support or oppose any candidate for public office. Through education, organizing and advocacy, we promote diverse and independent media ownership, strong public media and universal access to communications.