Donald Trump and the GOP’s move to slash more than $1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s budget is putting children’s educational programming offered through the Public Broadcasting Service at risk.
And right-wing indoctrination platforms — in particular, PragerU — are in position to capitalize.
This week, Republican lawmakers inflicted serious damage in their yearslong war on Big Bird, with passage of their Trump-backed rescissions package. In response, The Washington Post raised the legitimate question of whether American children will now be turning to vacuous and absurd web content to occupy their time, such as the popular “Skibidi Toilet” series.
It’s not a far-fetched possibility. But also not the scariest.
Because if conservatives have their way, more children will be educated with explicitly right-wing propaganda — like that provided by PragerU, the online content mill whose namesake, Dennis Prager, has admitted his goal is to “indoctrinate” children with a right-wing ideology. The organization, which has faced backlash for downplaying racist atrocities like chattel slavery and the slaughter of Indigenous people, hasn’t hidden its desire to overtake PBS as a provider of children’s content.
“Arming parents and educators with the pro-America content they are craving — we are going toe-to-toe with massive youth media companies like PBS Kids and Disney,” PragerU said in its 2022 annual report.
PragerU has already entered partnerships with states to produce educational materials. Oklahoma’s far-right school superintendent, Ryan Walters, even announced this month that his state will use a new ideology test from PragerU for certification of teachers who come from states with what he called “progressive education policies,” something he said is necessary to protect students from “radical leftist ideology.”
That gives you a sense of how well-positioned PragerU is in the conservative movement’s propaganda and indoctrination plans. And the White House has done its part to promote PragerU as it has waged war on PBS, as well. The Trump administration has partnered with the platform on a “Founders Museum” exhibit for White House visitors. As tech outlet 404 Media explained, the attraction comes complete with digital assets like this “AI-slopified” version of John Adams, who was made to regurgitate a saying popularized by right-wing influencer — and PragerU contributor — Ben Shapiro. As 404 Media noted, the White House videos conclude with a disclaimer that says: “This partnership does not constitute or imply U.S. Government or U.S. Department of Education endorsement of PragerU.” But that’s laughable. As Trump and his allies gut PBS programming and promote this right-wing alternative, the message seems clear: “Move over PBS, and make way for PragerU.”
Ja’han Jones is an MS NOW opinion blogger. He previously wrote The ReidOut Blog.
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