Defunding Dissent: How Christian Nationalists Are Gutting Public Media to Control the Narrative

1. Christian Nationalism Is the Story—Not the Victim

Let’s drop the sanctimonious act: Christian nationalism in America isn’t some misunderstood movement—it’s a calculated power grab dressed in a choir robe. Scholars define it as the unholy fusion of Christian identity and American civic religion, weaponized to gatekeep who gets to be a "real American.” Spoiler: It’s not you if you’re brown, queer, atheist, or have the audacity to think science is real.

It’s not about "coexistence." It’s about control—of policy, education, healthcare, and the damn public narrative.

White evangelicals have their fingers in everything: corporate newsrooms, political PACs, school boards, and let’s not forget Christian streaming empires pumping out purity culture like it's holy water. And yet, the second anyone dares to report on this overwhelming influence, we get the persecution pity party. Boo-freaking-hoo. When power cloaks itself in victimhood, that’s not irony—it’s strategy.

🧠 Hostile media effect in action: the louder your megachurch mic, the more offended you get when NPR mentions climate change without citing Genesis.

📺 And here’s where public media comes in...

Christian nationalists hate outlets like NPR and PBS not because they’re “biased,” but because they don’t kiss the cross. These outlets still dare to ask uncomfortable questions—like “Should your tax dollars really fund abstinence-only education pushed by Jesus Inc.?” or “Why is the guy quoting Leviticus also under FBI investigation?”

So, the plan? Starve public media. Strip the budget. Shout “liberal elitism!” into the void while privately funding literal propaganda mills. It’s not a war on bias—it’s a war on truth that doesn’t flatter them.

🎯 Numbers Don’t Lie—But Christian Nationalists Sure Do

Let’s hit you with some inconvenient data. Nearly eight in ten Americans who trust right-wing echo chambers like Newsmax or OANN say they support Christian nationalism, according to PRRI’s 2023 study. And if you think Fox News is somehow more "moderate," think again: Over half of Fox viewers openly sympathize with the ideology.

Translation: If you're still wondering where all the "Jesus Take the Congress" energy is coming from, it's not the pews—it’s prime time.

And this hostile media effect? Classic. The more you're marinating in MAGA sermons disguised as "news," the more you'll scream bloody censorship the moment PBS calmly mentions systemic racism or climate change. The right isn’t being silenced—they’re pissed that someone, somewhere, is telling the truth without a cross hanging overhead.

“It’s like if your megaphone could vote and also had a persecution complex.”
— Everyone watching Fox News cry about NPR

2. When “Bias” Means “Speak Christian”

Let’s rewind to May 1, 2025—the day Executive Order 14290 dropped like a Bible in a drag show. Titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Biased Media,” the order wasn’t about fairness—it was about censorship with a crucifix. It ordered a massive defunding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, directly targeting NPR and PBS, while establishing a DOJ task force to investigate so-called ‘anti-Christian bias’ in media.

So what counts as bias these days? Apparently, anything that doesn’t sound like it was edited by a youth pastor. If your news anchor doesn’t open with a Psalm or weep about Jesus in the cafeteria, they’re part of the liberal media cabal—at least, according to this administration’s playbook.

Meanwhile, over at the Department of Veterans Affairs, things took a page straight out of a dystopian Netflix series. Employees were reportedly instructed to snitch on coworkers for saying anything that could be interpreted as “anti-Christian.” And no, this wasn’t limited to someone yelling “God is fake” in a meeting. “Bias” here meant things like questioning prayer circles at work, suggesting neutral holiday decorations, or referencing the actual Constitution. Y’know—basic, boring professionalism.

Over at the DOJ, things weren’t much better. They held internal briefings where “victims of secularism” shared grievances like—wait for it—their coworkers didn’t say “God bless you” after they sneezed, or they felt uncomfortable when someone brought up the Establishment Clause. You’d think these folks were navigating a war zone, not an office where Karen said “Happy Holidays.”

And while all this was happening, the Family Research Council (aka the morality police for people nostalgic for Salem) praised the order as a “victory for religious liberty.” Yeah—because nothing screams “liberty” like surveilling your coworkers for not being churchy enough. Their idea of freedom seems to be making sure everyone else is stuck in their theology.

But let’s cut through the pious theater. Research shows that the loudest cries of “Christian persecution” in the U.S. don’t come from people losing actual rights—they come from people losing cultural dominance. Academic analysis from places like Portland State University shows that most of these bias claims boil down to one thing: discomfort. Not discrimination. Discomfort.

In other words: No, Karen, you weren’t oppressed. Someone just asked you to stop turning the break room into a Sunday school class.

3. Defund NPR & PBS—Because They Talk Truth

On June 12, 2025, the U.S. House passed a jaw-dropping $9.4 billion “rescission” package, squeezing the life out of social programs like it was a holy duty. Tucked neatly into the bill—because why make your authoritarianism too obvious?—was a brutal $1.1 billion gutting of CPB funds, aimed directly at NPR and PBS. The bill barely squeaked by in a 214–212 vote, with nearly every Republican treating it like a tithe to their political gods.

Also included: slashes to foreign aid, global health programs, and other things Jesus definitely said to ignore in the Sermon on the Mount.

So why the public media bloodbath? Let’s cut through the pious excuses.

🎯 Reason 1: They Report on Christian Nationalism

Unlike megachurch-owned “news” sites regurgitating sermons disguised as journalism, NPR and PBS have the gall to investigate Christian nationalist infiltration in public schools, government offices, and even law enforcement. That’s right—they use facts. With sources. And context. The horror.

🎯 Reason 2: They Don’t Call Jan. 6 a “Prayer Rally”

These outlets didn’t just “both-sides” the January 6 insurrection. They aired the hearings without commercial breaks. They interviewed legal experts. They fact-checked. They connected the damn dots. That alone made them enemy #1 for the right-wing Christian pundit-industrial complex that treats “law and order” like a mood ring.

Meanwhile, Tucker Carlson and his knockoff clones turned the attack on democracy into a God-and-country highlight reel.

🎯 Reason 3: They Serve News Deserts—Where Only Fox Thrives

Let’s not forget: NPR and PBS fill critical gaps in rural America, where trustworthy journalism is nearly extinct. In many of these areas, the local paper folded a decade ago and Fox News is the only cable “option”. Public media provides coverage of school board decisions, public health, and (gasp!) library censorship—all without commercial breaks funded by gold coin hawkers and MyPillow evangelists.

Even Pew Research confirms it: rural Americans overwhelmingly trust public media as a source for non-partisan news. Which, to today’s GOP, makes them deeply suspicious.

So what did Republican leaders call all of this?

“Biased leftist propaganda.”

Yeah. Because apparently, asking “Why is your pastor also your mayor?” is now an act of aggression.

Oh, and about that budget—CPB’s total funding amounts to a measly $535 million, or less than 0.01% of federal spending (Cambridge). That’s about one-eighth of what the Pentagon loses in couch cushions every year.

But sure, let’s pretend the Republic can’t survive unless we stop Sesame Street from saying “everyone belongs.”

4. The Fallout: Empty Screens, Dark Towns

This isn’t some abstract budget line—it’s a wrecking ball aimed straight at your town’s last trusted news source.

Let’s start with the basics: gutting NPR and PBS doesn’t hurt urban elites—it devastates small-town America. According to The Guardian, many of the stations most vulnerable to these cuts are in rural, conservative counties where public media is the only source of local news, weather, and government coverage. Congrats, Republicans—you’re screwing your own base.

And when disaster hits? Public media shows up. During Hurricane Helene, it was Blue Ridge Public Radio that stayed live on air while private stations cut to commercials or dropped off completely. So if you’re sitting in a trailer park in the storm’s path, guess who’s actually keeping you alive? Not Fox. Not your senator. It’s that underfunded NPR affiliate you voted to defund.

Meanwhile, the news desert problem? About to get a whole lot worse. CBS News warns that hundreds of counties—most already lacking a daily newspaper—could lose all access to independent journalism. That vacuum? It won’t stay empty. It’ll fill with Facebook conspiracy memes and reruns of Tucker Carlson pretending January 6 was a guided tour.

“Cutting PBS doesn’t just kill Big Bird—it leaves real people in the dark.”

What makes public media different isn’t just its tone—it’s how it’s built. According to The New Yorker, public broadcasters maintain higher trust levels because they’re funded to be independent. No billionaire owners. No ad dollars dictating the script. Just reporters, editors, and transparency requirements most private networks wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot cross.

And about those “transparency requirements”—federal grants fund open meetings, community advisory boards, and mandatory public accountability. Know who doesn’t do that? Sinclair. Or any of the private equity clowns gutting local newspapers and replacing them with AI clickbait.

Let’s be clear: the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s entire budget is less than 0.01% of federal spending—about $535 million, or the cost of one Pentagon screw-up. But for that microscopic cost, we get disaster alerts, local journalism, science reporting, and kids’ programming that doesn’t try to sell them a prepper bunker.

So when Congress slashes that funding, they’re not trimming fat. They’re butchering the last civic institution left standing in places corporate media abandoned years ago.

5. Christian Default Isn’t Bias—But It’s a Privilege

Let’s be honest: mainstream U.S. media doesn’t treat all religions equally—it automatically centers Christianity, and everyone else gets the leftovers.

• Easter specials flood the airwaves—sunrise services, mega church broadcasts, Passion plays. But when Ramadan rolls around? You might get a single NPR piece once a year. And for Passover? Coverage is rare, quick, and usually buried between sports and finance updates.
  

• Abortion is virtually never covered as a healthcare or rights issue—it’s consistently portrayed as a “moral dilemma,” echoing language from Christian anti-abortion groups like the National Right to Life Committee, not from doctors or public health experts.
  

• Run for president? You’ll need to show your faith credentials first, policy second. Non-believers? They’re treated like a scandal. Serious–you’d think admitting atheism is a national emergency.
  

This isn’t opinion—it’s backed by research. Studies published in the Journal of Media and Religion show that Christianity consistently receives the most favorable portrayal in U.S. media, while minority faiths and atheists often get marginalization or negative stereotypes.

Meanwhile, the latest Pew data shows Americans overwhelmingly agree: there's significant discrimination against Muslims and Jews, but far less against Christians or evangelicals. The message? Christians aren’t being sidelined—they're shaken because their default dominance isn’t guaranteed anymore.

When someone screams “anti-Christian bias,” what they usually mean is: “I don’t like not being center stage anymore.”

6. The Bigger Stakes: Democracy Under Threat

This isn’t quibbling about who gets airtime—it’s about a full-blown authoritarian blueprint.

• Christian nationalism isn’t just church + state—it’s church controlling the state. It emboldens practices like gerrymandering, voter suppression, and laws that privilege white Christian conservatives—while locking out everyone else. Described in Time as “an anti‑democratic impulse…manifested most clearly in restrictive voting policies”, this isn’t fringe—it’s ideological strategy.
  

• When public media is muted—or worse, defunded—the only voice left is the one scripted by grievance and white Christian supremacy. That central message then filters into book bans, mandatory school prayer, and sex-ed rollbacks, all framed as “freedom” but rooted in religious orthodoxy.
  

• The movement’s strategy is laid bare in plans like Project 2025 and Convention of States—detailed roadmaps to dismantle checks and balances and engineer a conservative Christian theocracy. These aren’t conspiracy theories—they’re published agendas from groups like the Alliance Defending Freedom and the Heritage Foundation laying groundwork for religious rule.
  

Meanwhile, U.S. school districts have already banned over 15,000 books, mostly with themes around race, gender, or LGBTQ+ topics—often under the excuse of combatting “divisive concepts”. That’s not about protecting kids—it’s about imposing a singular moral code. Public broadcasting that offers historical context or invites dissent becomes a casualty.

The endgame? A society where religion is law, every textbook is vetted for Christian morality, civic institutions are hollowed out, and “democracy” becomes a religious specter. That’s not just biased media—it’s the theocratic dismantling of pluralism.

7. What Now? Fight Like It Matters—Because It Does

This isn’t just about public broadcasting. It’s about who gets to shape the truth—and who gets to silence it.

🧠 Shift the narrative

Forget the “leftist media” smear. Public media isn’t pushing ideology—it’s resisting it. NPR and PBS aren’t perfect, but they’re among the last news institutions that don’t answer to shareholders or pastors with PACs. Outlets like The New Yorker have laid it out plainly: these stations survive on trust, not party loyalty. The goal isn’t partisanship—it’s public service.

🛠 Defend what’s still standing

Want to fight back? Start local. Most communities still have affiliate stations hanging on by a thread. Especially in rural areas, a single NPR or PBS outlet might be the only reliable source of news for miles. As The Washington Post reported, those same stations often serve conservative counties—places where residents don’t know their safety net is being cut out from under them.

• Donate to your station.
  

• Write your reps.
  

• Show up at board meetings.
  

• Remind your neighbors who’s really on their side when the tornado sirens go off or school boards get hijacked.
  

🎯 Name the game

What’s happening here isn’t confusion—it’s a tactic. Christian nationalism doesn’t want a seat at the table—it wants the whole damn room. When that entitlement gets questioned, they don’t debate. They cry foul. “Anti-Christian bias” is the camouflage—a way to avoid accountability while bulldozing everything that looks like pluralism.

Bottom Line: They’re Not Losing Power. They’re Consolidating It.

If this feels like overreaction, that’s by design. You’re supposed to think it’s just budget talk—when really, it’s about narrative control. This isn’t about saving taxpayer money. It’s about gutting the public’s ability to think critically, challenge dogma, and hear voices outside a single approved ideology.

Christian nationalism isn’t being sidelined—it’s laying bricks. And the fewer journalists left to call it out, the faster that wall goes up.

So yeah—this isn’t just about who gets airtime. It’s about who’s allowed to speak at all.