Ken Burns calls PBS ‘Declaration of Independence’ for communication

Longtime documentary filmmaker Ken Burns praised the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) as the “Declaration of Independence” for communications while lamenting the loss of federal funding on Wednesday.

Burns’ latest documentary “American Revolution”Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know” podcast, but the topic eventually turned to President Donald Trump cutting funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps finance PBS, after Congress passed a federal repeal package in July.

Burns, whose documentaries have long aired on PBS, said he believes the network can survive without funding, but warned that the impact of the cuts would be felt most in rural states.

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“They will now be a news desert,” Burns said. “Nobody’s going to be covering the school board or the city council meeting. This is where people are addicted not just to kids’ and prime-time programming, but also to livestream classes and continuing education. I know that doesn’t sound sexy, but you’re also getting emergency alerts. What happens in the turmoil of climate change and normal disasters? What happens when you don’t have that signal?”

He continued, “This is serious stuff. It’s extremely devastating for Alaska, for the Dakotas, for eastern Tennessee, for many other places that are at risk of losing this last bit of communication. In fact, I think of public broadcasting as the Declaration of Independence applied to communications.”

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President Donald Trump signed into law a federal repeal package that cuts funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images; Nathan Howard/Reuters)

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

PBS CEO Paula Kerger made similar comments in April, warning the White House in a statement that cutting funding for public broadcasting would “devastate” rural areas that rely on emergency services.

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“Rescinding these funds would devastate PBS member stations and the important role they play in communities, especially smaller and rural stations that depend on federal funding for larger portions of their budgets. Without PBS member stations, Americans will lose unique local programming and emergency services in times of crisis,” Kerger said.

Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) CEO Paula Kerger warned of devastating damage to rural stations without federal funding. (PBS)

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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced in August that it would begin ceasing its operations as a result of spending cuts.