With the negotiation of a bipartisan budget deal this week, it seems as though the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is safe from the deep cuts sought by the Trump administration. But that doesn’t address the inherent problems of the country’s public media funding model, which relies on the government for only a fraction of its funds. University of Oregon’s Christopher Chavez explores the difficulties PBS and NPR face in fulfilling their mission when they’re forced to rely on wealthy donors to survive.

Inequality in the U.S. has been growing steadily since the 1970s. So why do more than 90 percent of Americans say that our country is a meritocracy? According to new research, living in a neighborhood without socioeconomic or racial diversity can prevent us from appreciating the size of the divide.