NPR has suspended senior business editor Uri Berliner after he criticized the network for embracing a “progressive worldview” and claimed it had lost America’s trust. Berliner was suspended for five days without pay for not seeking approval for work in other outlets, as required by NPR’s policy. This suspension came after Berliner openly ridiculed NPR’s coverage in a 3,500-word piece for The Free Press, criticizing the broadcaster for failing to cover certain stories adequately.
Berliner’s complaints about NPR’s coverage of allegations about Donald Trump, the Covid-19 lab-leak theory, and the Hunter Biden story led him to conclude that NPR had lost “viewpoint diversity” and was trying to tell listeners how to think. NPR’s editor-in-chief Edith Chapin disagreed with Berliner’s assessment, stating that inclusion and diversity are critical to their journalism. Other NPR staffers also rejected Berliner’s claims, with some pointing out flaws in his argument and lack of fairness in his column.
Berliner’s essay sparked backlash from Republicans and right-wing media, with calls to defund the network due to perceived liberal bias. Former President Donald Trump criticized NPR on his Truth Social platform, calling it a “liberal disinformation machine” and demanding that it receive no government funding. Fox News hosts also fanned the flames of outrage, with banners declaring NPR as a purveyor of propaganda. Despite this, Berliner emphasized that defunding NPR is not the solution and rejected the characterization of NPR as a liberal disinformation machine.
The right-wing revolt against NPR has continued, with criticism directed at NPR’s chief executive Katherine Maher over old tweets criticizing Trump. NPR spokesperson Isabel Lara dismissed these attacks, stating that Maher was exercising her First Amendment right as an American citizen and was not working in journalism at the time of the tweets. The controversy surrounding Berliner’s essay and the subsequent suspension highlights the ongoing debate over media bias and the role of public broadcasters in shaping public opinion. It also underscores the challenges faced by journalists in navigating political polarization and criticism from various ideological factions.
