CPB reacted Jan. 8 to the attack on journalists at the French satirical publication Charlie Hebdo by announcing grants totaling $7.5 million to four public media newsrooms.
“Now more than ever it takes so much courage to be a journalist,” said CPB President Pat Harrison in an to public media managers. “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.” CPB awarded the grants in memory of eight journalists who were killed.
The money is given “in support of freedom of the press and freedom of expression,” Harrison said.
Frontline, public TV’s investigative showcase, is receiving $3.25 million; PBS NewsHour, $1.5 million; PBS NewsHour Weekend, $1 million; NPR, $1 million to support international coverage; and PRI’s The World, $750,000.
The grants bring CPB’s contributions to pubcasting’s journalism units to $24 million in the past year.