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Former NPR Editor Calls on Network to Reject Federal Funding
A former senior business editor at NPR has called on the public broadcasting organization to preemptively refuse federal funding, arguing that such a move would bolster its credibility and allow it to truly embrace its progressive leanings.
Uri Berliner, who resigned from NPR in April 2024, made his case in an opinion piece. He argued that NPR’s coverage of certain controversial topics, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the Hunter Biden laptop story, has aligned too closely with the Biden administration, thereby undermining its claims of impartiality. Berliner suggests that if Congress ultimately decides to withhold funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which supports NPR and PBS with an annual budget of $545 million, NPR will only have itself to blame.
Berliner’s comments come as NPR CEO Katherine Maher testified before the House of Representatives’ Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) subcommittee. The subcommittee, chaired by Rep.
Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), invited both Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger to address concerns about alleged partisan bias in their programming. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in on the matter, stating his support for defunding NPR and PBS, citing perceived unfairness and bias.
Berliner’s resignation from NPR followed his suspension for contributing to outside publications without prior approval. His initial suspension and subsequent resignation stemmed from an essay he wrote criticizing NPR’s coverage of various sensitive issues, including the “Russiagate” investigation and the COVID-19 lab leak theory.
He argued at the time that NPR had drifted significantly to the left, fostering a lack of viewpoint diversity. His criticisms sparked calls from some conservatives to defund the network.
In his latest piece, Berliner dismissed NPR’s recently implemented “Backstop” vetting process, designed to ensure editorial review of all coverage, as ineffective. He urged NPR to abandon its claims of objectivity and openly embrace its progressive identity. He suggested that NPR could still play a valuable role in public discourse, even without federal funding, by focusing on hard-hitting stories about the political right.
NPR has not yet responded to requests for comment on Berliner’s remarks.