Marjorie Taylor Greene Asks NPR CEO If She Worked With Biden Admin. To Censor Speech

2 days ago

At today's House DOGE Committee hearing, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) grilled the heads of NPR and PBS.

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Transcript

00:00minutes of questions. Ms. Marr, your public statements and social media posts

00:06reflect left-wing ideology and blatant opposition to free speech. After all, you

00:12were the head of Wikipedia for many years, which is a platform that doesn't

00:17tell the truth. Let's walk through some of the public, some of your statements, so

00:22the public can understand your personal views. Your fellow American, you said, your

00:27fellow Americans, your fellow Americans just elected Donald Trump as president

00:33again this past November. You called him a deranged racist and sociopath. You

00:41posted on X that America is addicted to white supremacy. It's appalling. You've

00:48publicly chastised using the phrase boy and girl, which you said erases the

00:55language for non-binary people. There's only two genders, by the way. Ms. Marr, the

01:01federal funding that your outlet receives comes from all American

01:06taxpayer dollars, not just from your viewers who support such statements as

01:13these. Let me inform you and that so that your that your federal funding is also

01:19paid for by the other half of the country, the 77 million Americans who

01:25voted for President Trump, someone you called a deranged racist sociopath. Ms.

01:34Marr, many find your pro-censorship and anti-free speech views more concerning

01:40than your politics. The only speech you like

01:46seems to be speech that you agree with. In 2021, you called the First Amendment

01:51the number one challenge in American journalism because it makes it hard to

01:57crack down on bad information. You said in a TED Talk that our reverence for the

02:03truth might be a distraction. You've also expressed support for de-platforming

02:10individuals you view as fascist. Who do you think should be charged with

02:18cracking down on so-called bad information? Is it NPR? Is it the

02:23government? Is it you, Ms. Marr?

02:27Congresswoman, Madam Chair, thank you so much for the opportunity to address this.

02:32I know... Is it up to you and NPR to crack down on bad

02:36information or decide the truth? Answer the question yes or no, Ms. Marr.

02:39Absolutely not. I'm a very strong believer in free speech and I believe

02:42that more speech... Your public statements say otherwise. Ms. Marr, in 2021, when

02:47speaking at an Atlantic Council event, you said that when you were CEO of

02:51Wikipedia, you took a very active approach to disinformation and

02:55misinformation. During the COVID pandemic and the 2020 election, you said you

03:01censored information through conversations with government. Which

03:05governments were those, Ms. Marr? The Biden administration, yes or no?

03:09Madam Chair, Wikipedia never censored any information.

03:12These are your public statements, Ms. Marr. Ms. Marr, are you familiar with Section 399B of the

03:17Communications Act? It prohibits non-commercial education broadcast

03:21stations, NCEs, from airing commercials on behalf of for-profit entities. The FCC

03:29recently opened an investigation into the underwriting announcements and

03:33related policies of NPR and PBS. Does NPR air commercials for for-profit

03:39entities, Ms. Marr? Yes or no? Madam Chair, we are in full compliance with the

03:44FCC's inquiry and will continue to cooperate. I remind you you're under

03:48oath and violations of the Communications Act comes with a fine up

03:54to $10,000 and possibly up to a year in prison. Does PBS air for-profit

04:00commercials, Ms. Kerger? We air underwriting announcements and we

04:05believe we are in full compliance with the FCC and we look forward to

04:08delivering the material required in this part of this investigation. We look

04:12forward to that too. I'm assuming you're concerned, both of you are concerned

04:16about this and that's why you brought so many attorneys with you today. Ms. Kerger,

04:20using taxpayer subsidies, PBS funded Independent Lens to make documentaries

04:25for part of your programming. In 2016, Real Boy was aired about a trans teen

04:31navigating adolescent sobriety and the ramification of his gender identity. In

04:362022, the same series aired Our League in which a trans woman comes to her old

04:42school Ohio bowling league in a story about transition. Then in 2024, Erase This

04:48Trees was aired telling a story of how in Palm Springs, a black neighborhood

04:53fights to remove a divisive wall of trees. Do you think PBS needs to fund

04:59ridiculous material such as this that the taxpayers are having to pay for?

05:04These are documentary films that are point of view pieces that are part of

05:08our prime time schedule for adults and parents and adults don't trust that

05:13type of programming.

05:15Okay.

05:20Thank you, Madam Chair. I ask a unanimous.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Asks NPR CEO If She Worked With Biden Admin. To Censor Speech

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