Looks like NPR's latest pledge drive was a massive success: NPR on Thursday announced two donations totaling $113 million, including the largest gift it has ever received from a living donor. Philanthropist Connie Ballmer, who runs the Ballmer Group with her husband, former Microsoft executive Steve Ballmer, is giving $80 million, reports the New York Times. Another $33 million is coming from an anonymous donor to bolster the NPR Network, which links member stations across the country.
Ballmer said she backs NPR because "an informed public is the bedrock of our society, and democracy requires strong, independent journalism," adding that she hopes the funding lets the outlet "innovate boldly." The windfall lands after Congress last year cut back hundreds of millions in annual support for public broadcasters, a move that rattled local stations even though NPR itself gets only a sliver of its budget from federal funds. NPR chief executive Katherine Maher said she hopes the gifts spark more giving to "ensure public media remains strong for generations to come."
The announcement triggered a slow clap among conservatives, with Jeffrey Blehar at the National Review putting it thusly: "The more important point to be made ... is that what conservatives always argued would happen if you cut funding for public broadcasting has indeed happened: nothing at all. They're doing fine!" CBS News notes that a judge earlier this month ruled that the Trump administration's move to defund public radio violated the First Amendment, but the ruling did not restore the funding.
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