Dwain Northey (Gen X)

The loss of PBS is a heartbreaking blow to the heart of American culture and education. For generations, PBS has been a quiet, constant presence in our homes — a refuge of thoughtful programming, trusted journalism, and boundless learning. From Sesame Street to Nova, Frontline to Masterpiece, it has nurtured young minds, sparked curiosity, and offered the kind of depth and integrity commercial networks too often lack.

But now, due to the GOP’s draconian budget cuts and increasingly hostile posture toward public education and informed citizenship, PBS has been silenced. It’s not just a line item removed — it’s a message: that facts, science, history, and empathy are expendable in pursuit of ideological purity and short-term gain.

This wasn’t just about money. This was a calculated dismantling of a beloved institution that dared to educate rather than entertain, to question rather than conform. PBS’s quiet resistance — promoting literacy, inclusivity, and critical thinking — proved intolerable to those who see informed citizens as a threat rather than a foundation of democracy.

We mourn more than the loss of a network; we mourn the erosion of a public trust. We mourn for the children who will never meet Big Bird or learn the alphabet with joyful songs. We mourn for the classrooms that relied on free, accessible programming. We mourn for truth, nuance, and care — all casualties in a broader war on knowledge.

PBS didn’t just inform us. It made us better. And we will feel its absence profoundly.