National Public Radio (NPR) CEO and president Katherine Maher recently sounded off on Senior Editor Uri Berliner, who criticized the taxpayer-funded network for harboring political bias. According to Berliner, a 25-year veteran at NPR, because of the outlet’s political leanings, it has “lost America’s trust.”
Maher, who recently assumed the leadership position at NPR, was highly critical of Berliner’s assessment of the organization. She addressed the controversy, conceding that journalism should always bring about “hard questions and inherent skepticism. However, Maher slammed Berliner’s comments, labeling them as “profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning” to the media outlet.
“Asking a question about whether we’re living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions,” Maher continued. “Questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning.”
Maher further called out the veteran’s comments as being “simplistic” while defending the employees at NPR. She emphasized that the organization is committed to representing the interests of the country it serves.
“It is deeply simplistic to assert that the diversity of America can be reduced to any particular set of beliefs, and faulty reasoning to infer that identity is determinative of one’s thoughts or political leanings,” the CEO added. “Each of our colleagues are here because they are excellent, accomplished professionals with an intense commitment to our work: we are stronger because of the work we do together, and we owe each other our utmost respect. We fulfill our mission best when we look and sound like the country we serve.”
Moreover, news broke on Tuesday that Berliner had been suspended from NPR after publicly voicing his concerns about the purported bias within the media organization. The longtime employee titled his op-ed, “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.”
“With declining ratings, sorry levels of trust, and an audience that has become less diverse over time, the trajectory for NPR is not promising. Two paths seem clear. We can keep doing what we’re doing, hoping it will all work out. Or we could start over, with the basic building blocks of journalism. We could face up to where we’ve gone wrong. News organizations don’t go in for that kind of reckoning. But there’s a good reason for NPR to be the first: we’re the ones with the word public in our name,” Berliner said.
Elon Musk, who has been described as a champion of free speech after he bought Twitter, commented on Berliner’s suspension, stating, “NPR has become a hard left propaganda machine that tolerates no dissent.” NPR has long had a reputation among conservatives for being overtly liberal in its coverage of current events, drawing intense criticism given its taxpayer funding.
The American Tribune also reported on comments from former President Donald Trump, who suggested there should be “no more” funding for NPR after its political bias was revealed. “NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM! EDITOR SAID THEY HAVE NO REPUBLICANS, AND IS ONLY USED TO “DAMAGE TRUMP.” THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!” Trump stated on Truth Social.
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