(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) With InfoWars shut down, many are questioning what’s next for its founder Alex Jones and what new venture, if any, he could pursue. One suggestion caught some people off guard: name him head of NPR.
Benjamin Braddock, editor at large of the cultural magazine IM—1776, suggested Thursday that President-elect Donald Trump could counter InfoWars’ leftist takeover by appointing “Jones to run NPR.” Braddock said this would be the “funniest thing right now.”
Braddock’s proposal came after Jones posted a video announcing InfoWars’ sudden closure following its purchase by The Onion, a satirical news site. “I’m going to be here until they come and turn the lights off,” Jones said.
Trump has the chance to do the funniest thing right now (appoint Alex Jones to run NPR). https://t.co/gLiC7gvH4s
— Dr. Ben Braddock (@GraduatedBen) November 14, 2024
In response, one user noted that NPR, a taxpayer-funded news organization, is run by an independent board. This means the president or the executive branch does not oversee NPR’s appointments.
This did not deter Braddock, who jokingly replied, “The Supreme Court has ruled that the President has total immunity to do whatever he wants.”
This wouldn’t be the first time Jones emerged as a rumored federal appointee; earlier this month, he claimed to have “formally” accepted an offer to be Trump’s press secretary.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the President has total immunity to do whatever he wants
— Dr. Ben Braddock (@GraduatedBen) November 14, 2024
The NPR board selected Katherine Maher as president and CEO in January 2024, igniting widespread criticism over her leftist bias.
According to NPR’s About page, the board of directors oversees NPR’s 501(c)(3) non-profit status, sets policies and monitors the organization’s finances and performance.
The board includes 23 directors: 12 NPR station managers, nine public directors (alleged prominent members of the public), the NPR Foundation chair and the president and CEO.
NPR was founded in 1970 and, until 1983, received over half of its funding from the federal government’s Corporation for Public Broadcasting, according to Influence Watch.
NPR claims that less than one percent of its annual budget comes from tax dollars. However, a fact-check by The Western Journal found that NPR received 8 percent of its revenue from federal appropriations in 2020.
In addition, NPR got 10 percent from publicly funded colleges and universities, according to the Journal.
