On Friday, Jan. 9, the moderators of PBS NewsHour ended their broadcast with the  announcement that — because of the fiscal crisis created by the Trump administration’s defunding of the Corporation For Public Broadcasting — PBS News Weekend would have to be discontinued. The regret voiced by Geoff Bennett and Amna Nawaz was palpable. Then, on Jan. 11, Mr. John Yang confirmed the sad news,  saying how proud he was of breadth and depth of News Weekend programing.

For decades, NewsHour and News Weekend have provided a crucial service of dedicated, impartial journalism to the American public. While newspapers have withered, network coverage has shrunk and ever more partisan and sensationalist media outlets have proliferated, PBS and NPR have stood firm in commitment to comprehensive, objective reporting and analysis. Now PBS, NPR and our public broadcasting affiliate MPBN are facing a dire, existential threat.

My wife (aka Judy Woodruff’s greatest fan) and I have tried to play our part by increasing  our annual donation within the bounds of our budget. Recent MPBN pledge drives have testified to the commitment of Mainers to their system. However, in the end, that support can only go so far.

I urge corporations and philanthropic organizations in our state to continue their support of public broadcasting. And I call on our representatives in Congress to stand firm against the unconscionable, ideological attacks by the Trump administration on public broadcasting. Freedom of the press, as a foundation of our republic, deserves no less.

Larry Dyhrberg
Falmouth