PBS has announced it will be permanently closing its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, banning DEI offices and programs in both the government, and in federally funded public universities.
According to Fox News, the network sent a statement to Fox News Digital, stating that its office has closed and staff members working there are about to leave.
“In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion we have closed our DEI office. The staff members who served in that office are leaving PBS. We will continue to adhere to our mission and values. PBS will continue to reflect all of America and remain a welcoming place for everyone,” the statement said.
The New York Times reported PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger had sent a memo informing her colleagues that the network had decided to close the DEI office after working with legal counsel over the executive orders.
“To ensure that we comply with the President’s Executive Order, we have closed our DEI office, and Cecilia Loving and Gina Leow are leaving PBS. I know you join me in wishing them well in future endeavors,” Kerger wrote in the memo. “Our mission is to educate, engage and inspire the wide variety of American communities we serve will continue to be at the center of our work, and we’ll also continue to ensure that PBS remains a welcoming place for everyone.”
Fox News reported Loving had been the Senior Vice President of DEI since 2021, where her job entailed identifying “opportunities” to build “PBS’s internal commitment to DEI” and to “evaluate current business practices.” Meanwhile, Leow was also hired in 2021 as Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, has said he will be launching an investigation in PBS and NPR, of which both outlets receive government funding. The investigation will be looking into whether any member stations have violated government rules surrounding financial sponsors named on the air.
