The Citizen: Gillibrand recognized for support of public broadcasting

Journalist Robert Harding from The Citizen reported on March 5, 2018, “Gillibrand recognized for support of public broadcasting."

The article explains that on Wednesday, February 28, at America’s Public Television Stations's (APTS) 2018 Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C., the Champion of Public Broadcasting Award was presented to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) for her outstanding leadership in safeguarding the ability of local public television stations to provide education, public safety and civic leadership to their communities.

Seven years ago, Senator Gillibrand spearheaded what is now known on Capitol Hill as the “Dear Colleague” Letter: an annual congressional letter circulated as a pledge of support of funding for public broadcasting. “When our funding has been threatened, Senator Gillibrand has been among the first to come to our defense, said Pat Butler, President and CEO of APTS.

President Donald Trump’s proposed elimination of funding for public broadcasting has made the congressional support of those like Senator Gillibrand even more critical for the longstanding success and service of public media. In her acceptance speech, Senator Gillibrand testified to her support: “I am proud to fight for public broadcasting funding in the Senate. It’s clear that we need the educational and news programming available on public broadcasting today more than ever before.”

To learn more, read the full article.