PBS has announced the closure of its office of diversity, equity and inclusion in response to President Trump’s executive order to do away with DEI
Two executives, Cecilia Loving and Gina Leow, were terminated as part of the closure. They oversaw the DEI efforts since 2021.
Driving the news: The decision to shut down the DEI office comes at a time when public television and radio are preparing for a battle over federal funding, with some uncertainty arising due to PBS receiving federal funding through the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation for its children’s programming.
- PBS currently receives approximately $535 million in general support from the government, constituting about 16% of its budget, though the implications of complying with Trump’s executive order are still being determined through the private Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which channels the government funding to PBS.
- While some of PBS’s 330 member stations have their own DEI initiatives and receive CPB funding, the fate of their offices will be decided by individual stations.
- The DEI office extended its focus beyond racial equity, contributing efforts towards ensuring children with hearing impairments have access to PBS programming.
