Sounds like an Onion headline, but it’s not. Yesterday a U.S. appeals court struck down a ban on political advertising on public TV and radio stations. That means your local NPR and PBS stations could start airing all those nasty attack ads that clog up the airwaves in an election year.

Can you imagine? Sesame Street brought to you by Mitt Romney … and a spot from Obama’s Super PAC preceding Downton Abbey? Attack ads sandwiched between Antiques Roadshow and Frontline? The very same commercials that many turn to public broadcasting to escape could soon be gobbling up airtime on your favorite station.

In a 2–1 decision by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the judges ruled that the ban on political advertising violated the First Amendment, and said that permitting these sorts of ads would not threaten or undermine the educational nature of public broadcasting. But polluting public media with misleading and negative ads is not in keeping with the original vision of noncommercial programming.

And this is certainly not the solution to funding public media.

Noncommercial Public Broadcasting: Now Brought to You by Commercials

An overwhelming majority of Americans say public funding for public media is money well spent. Year after year polls show that public television ranks as the most trusted institution in America, beating out all other forms of media, the courts and the government. 

We need to invest in public media, not open it up to dirty Super PAC money. Altering the noncommercial foundation of public media could threaten everything it has built in the last 40 years. The last thing viewers need is a slew of misleading political attack ads eating up NPR and PBS airtime. What public media in America needs is more investment from the people, not shadowy third-party groups.

NPR and PBS: Just Say No

While the Justice Department reviews the court’s decision, Free Press is urging NPR and PBS to reject these ads outright. And some stations have already taken a stand.

KPBS in San Diego has stated that it will not accept political advertising on its station. "It's not our intention to make money off elections via political advertising — rather, KPBS will remain committed to educating the voters.''

Stay strong, NPR and PBS. The public has backed you for 40 years and we’re not going anywhere. Don’t pollute your airwaves with political attack ads.

If you care about the future of public media, please consider a donation to the Free Press Action Fund. Thank you.