Kae and Cleo Reed on a tour of the PBS News Hour studio near Washington, D.C., on May 5.

Where you get information matters.

Is it news or entertainment? Is it opinion or fact? Is it fair or slanted?

It used to be fairly easy to answer those questions. With so many choices for where one gets news, and so many entities blurring the line between fact and opinion, it can be hard for consumers to know who to believe.

So many people either don’t have the ability to think critically or they gave up trying. Too many people have allowed themselves to be spoon fed gibberish which they then regurgitate and spew out as crap when they think they are being brilliant.

This happens no matter which side of the aisle people are on. They are believing information without thinking it through. They are believing information because their favorite media personality said so.

Those who know me, know I’m not a fan of cable news networks—any of them. I don’t watch ABC, NBC or CBS news except when I catch 60 Minutes.

I used to be a big fan of KGO radio because it was always on at home when I was growing up in the Bay Area. It was clear when the news was being delivered and when it was talk shows. (It has since changed formats.)

The PBS News Hour control room in the WETA studios in Arlington, Va. (Image: Kathryn Reed)

I’m a fan of NPR, but usually only listen on longer stints in the car. I hate getting involved in a story and not being able to keep listening.

At night mom and I often watch the PBS News Hour. I like that the anchors and correspondents interview a range of people about a variety of topics. They have Democrats and Republicans on air. They explain issues in depth, going beyond the typical sound bite or memorable image. The features are interesting.

No news organization is perfect because they are operated by humans and humans are flawed.

What matters though is the intent of the organization as well as its record.

I believe in NPR and PBS. I believe they are honorable organizations delivering news that matters without bias. Yes, they both have opinion components to their broadcasts, but it’s easy to know when it’s news and when it’s not.

It’s infuriating that the president on May 1 signed an executive order to stop federal dollars from going to NPR and PBS. The order says these entities “spread radical, woke propaganda disguised as news.”

The president doesn’t like anyone who disagrees with him. If they aren’t in lockstep, they must be radical, backing what he calls woke ideas.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was created by Congress as a nonprofit. It partially funds NPR, PBS and about 1,500 public station nationwide.

In an era where news deserts are becoming the norm, often NPR and PBS are either the only or hands down the most reliable sources of news for communities. The local stations deliver local news that otherwise would not be reported.

News is actually a fraction of what NPR and PBS deliver. Think All Things Considered and Sesame Street. This month I watched a fascinating show on PBS about the history of libraries.

Listen to NPR, watch PBS. The diverse programming is impressive. Then think about if this is where you want your tax dollars spent. I have let my representatives know I want funding for PBS and NPR to continue. And I’ll continue to tell them so.