Does Elmo Want to be a Propagandist? How About Bert, Ernie and NPR?

Time for NPR, PBS and Big Bird to spread their wings leave the Taxpayer coop and fly on their own.

By Greg Rabidoux

Growing up I was never much of a Sesame Street kid and radio, especially public radio, (not enough tunes) was not my first, second, or even third choice. I liked comic books and that alone made me nerdy. Which is also how former NPR editor Uri Berliner, raised by, in his words, "a lesbian, peace activist," described his fellow colleagues at NPR. At least back in the day. But when he left (was fired?) NPR after a quarter of a century of service, he didn't hold back his Cookie Monster-inspired grouchiness at his old stomping grounds. "We (NPR) have lost America's trust," he said, in large part because "We went from being nerdy and introspective, always with a left-leaning worldview, to knee-jerk activism and scolding our listeners." He went on to make the point that NPR (and PBS) created way back in 1967 by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson, went from informing and educating its audience to telling them how to think, act, and live.

Some nearly 60 years later, Congress has just held hearings on whether to de-fund both NPR and PBS, with Republican Members again, asserting just how unfair, biased, and agenda driven both publicly funded entities have become. As in a leftist agenda.

Katherine Maher, the current President and CEO of NPR did her liberal platform and her cause more harm than good. She couldn't bring herself to condemn the BLM summer of looting, only claiming it was "counterproductive" and denied bias within NPR or apparently, within her own editorial board which both Mr. Berliner and Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) both claim are unanimously Democrat partisans. The Media Bias Fact Check folks have consistently rated NPR as solidly Left. Ms. Maher, perhaps knowing just how untenable her denial of partisan bias is that she sends each day to all of America, decided to place the focus on areas like isolated parts of Alaska, where she claims depend on NPR for critical services like emergency weather alerts.

Seriously?

So, the rest of the country should continue to foot the bill to listen to what has become, arguably, overwhelmingly leftist talking points because some folks in Alaska won't get updates on the next snowstorm? Don't get me wrong, I wish no ill on anyone in the east, middle, west, or north of our nation but telecommunications independent studies show that well over 98% of Americans have cell phones all equipped with updated weather and other emergency apps. At their fingertips, with or without NPR. Everywhere. At any time of day or night. From Anchorage to Albany, Baton Rouge to Boston, Carson City to, well you get the point.

Both Ms. Maher and her counterpart at PBS, Paula Kerger, continue to rely on what NPR and PBS have always relied upon in the face of assertions from conservatives of inherent partisan bias, slanted political coverage and of not fulfilling its original mission to "to cater to all of America," as LBJ noted its missions would be, but to cater to a very small, very active, very well positioned and funded minority of voices, values, and beliefs.

They trot out Big Bird, Bert and Ernie (two male puppets sharing a bath, ok, whatever), Elmo, and string the harpsichord of baby boomer nostalgia of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood and Julia Child's cooking. While both Mr. R., and Julia C., are, I hope, resting in peace, while alive, they both headed-up quality programming, this is 2025 and not 1975. The age group and demographics of those who were listening and watching back then have changed. Dramatically. If it's not on Tik Tok, X, or a TV streaming service, the vast majority are not paying attention. And neither should we, as taxpayers, be paying.

The world of today is not the world of back then. Media has grown up and grown out. Sesame Street with its streaming partnerships like HBO is, and will continue to do, just fine. Compelling, quality programming will, like Big Bird, always land on its feet somewhere. I have no doubt George Soros and his pals with their never-ending deep pockets will see to that. On the other hand, for a supposedly unbiased, partially publicly funded National Public Radio it sure was anything but neutral in absolutely refusing to even broach the subject of Hunter Biden's laptop even long after it was clear that it wasn't Russian disinformation. And to interview truly amoral, con artists masquerading as public servants like Adam Schiff over 25 times about Russian collusion even after that was debunked tells anyone who is even trying to give them the benefit of the doubt that they do not deserve our trust or our funding.

And someone at Sesame Street should politely tell Rep. Jasmine Crocket to stop being so potty-mouthed in public even as she argues to never defund PBS or NPR.

Just for the record, when I read my comic books, I don't use a canvas tote bag and prefer to drink coffee out of a cup. Not a mug.

Greg Rabidoux is an award-winning filmmaker, author, scriptwriter and while he has a soft spot for Elmo he has no space for political bias in the guise of education.