PBS confirmed it has closed its diversity, equity and inclusion office in order to comply with the recent executive order from President Donald Trump.
The move has impacted staffers in that unit, which had been led by DEI head Cecilia Loving. However, the public broadcaster said it will continue to “reflect all of America” in its ranks.
“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,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement.
The move to close the unit comes after Trump issued a number of executive orders aimed at cutting DEI programs on a federal level and among federal contractors as well as private companies, and as PBS faces an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission, following repeated threats by Trump.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr, who was appointed by Trump, has said he will investigate PBS and NPR, which both receive government funding, to see if their member stations violated government rules around the naming of financial sponsors on the air.
PBS expanded its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion team in the fiscal year 2022. In its second annual DEI report, released in February 2023, the network noted that it had created a DEI Office during fiscal year 2022 and hired a staff, including Loving and DEI director Gina Leow. At the time, the company had also established employee resource groups and DEI advocates and committees.
At the time, the company said its workforce had reached 44 percent BIPOC, which was a six-year high.
