Is public media still public?
From Democracy Works by Penn State McCourtney Institute for Democracy
March 2, 2026 · 21 min · Episode 298
About this episode
Ayesha Rascoe discusses the challenges of being a political reporter in a polarized country and the implications of federal funding loss on public media.
Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and Weekend Up First, joins us to discuss what it's like being a political reporter in a polarized country and what the "public" in public media looks like amid the loss federal funding.
People in this episode
Guest: Ayesha Rascoe
Topics covered
- public media
- political reporting
- polarization
- federal funding
- media landscape
Keywords
- public media
- political reporter
- polarization
- federal funding
- NPR
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NPR, Weekend Edition Sunday, Weekend Up First
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