In response to looming threats of funding cuts, PBS decided to close its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) office. Although the nonprofit is under financial pressure with 16% of its funding from the federal government, it's uncertain if this decision will shield them from future threats. The move reflects a compliance nervousness that can influence policy preemptively, resonating with lessons from historian Timothy Snyder who warns against 'obeying in advance', urging organizations to resist curtailing their missions based on anticipated government actions.
PBS was not forced to act. The nonprofit faces financial risk, of course, as it receives 16 percent of its funding from the federal government.
In On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, historian Timothy Snyder's first lesson is 'Do not obey in advance.' He elaborates: 'Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given.'
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