Corporation for Public Broadcasting announces grant in honor of press freedom

The PBS NewsHour is grateful for the support of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its commitment to journalism. During this difficult week of news, CPB President Pat Harrison announced a grant of $7.5 million in honor and support of freedom of the press and freedom of expression to the PBS NewsHour, NPR, Frontline and PRI The World.

“Now more than ever it takes so much courage to be a journalist. To understand that every word you may write, every cartoon you might draw could be your last. The chilling effect this can have may result in stories not told, reports not filed, journalism watered down,” Harrison said. “We in public media are proud of our commitment to providing content that informs, educates and inspires. We invest in high quality trusted journalism and work to ensure that the firewall of independence for journalists is strong and immovable.”

At the PBS NewsHour, we grieve for the murdered journalists and staff of Charlie Hebdo as well as those who were trying to protect them, and our hearts ache for all of the victims caught up in this week’s terror in France. We are ever mindful of the risks so many journalists take to do their work. And we are grateful to CPB, PBS and all of our generous supporters for allowing us to bring that work to you.

You can read the full statement from CPB here.