NPR and PBS are independent nonprofits that get most of their funding from private donations, and are in no way subject to government oversight. Only a small f

NPR and PBS are independent nonprofits that get most of their funding from private donations, and are in no way subject to government oversight. Only a small fraction of NPR's and PBS's funding come from government, and most of that doesn't even come from the government directly, but from another nonprofit, the CPB, which in turn receive federal grants. Whatever government influence is present in the existing public broadcasters is negligible and is entirely diluted by the influence of civil society in general. The article is pretty vague as to what it's proposing, but it seems to be suggesting much more direct political funding of the press, and not just broadcasters, but newspapers. More importantly, the author is suggesting that the government should consider funding the press because without new sources of funding, the established press will become extinct. In other words, he's advocating setting up a system in which the press is dependent upon political funding for its survival. This would be an unprecedented situation, and would generate conflicts of interest unlike anything we have now.