Following the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which allowed for media cross-ownership,[3] Corbeil founded Public News Service as an avenue to examine and reach rural areas.

[4] In May 2017, Dan Heyman, a PNS producer in West Virginia, was arrested at the state capitol for asking former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price a question in an "aggressive manner".

[5] In September 2017, the misdemeanor charge against Heyman was dropped after "a careful review" by the Kanawha County prosecutor's office.

[6] In 2019, PNS, in collaboration with the Pacifica Foundation, developed "2020Talks", a daily three-minute newscast covering the 2020 election primaries, leading up to the Iowa Caucuses.

Public News Service, a certified B Corporation, is funded by grants, gifts, some media contributions, and memberships from individuals, foundations, non-profit organizations and socially responsibly businesses.