NPR senior editor Uri Berliner at published an essay detailing examples of perceived bias at the organization.
It noted NPR had 87 registered Democrats but zero Republicans in editorial positions in DC.
“So on May 3, 2021, I presented the findings at an all-hands editorial staff meeting. When I suggested we had a diversity problem with a score of 87 Democrats and zero Republicans, the response wasn’t hostile. It was worse. It was met with profound indifference. I got a few messages from surprised, curious colleagues. But the messages were of the ‘oh wow, that’s weird’ variety, as if the lopsided tally was a random anomaly rather than a critical failure of our diversity North Star,” Berliner wrote.
While the editor leaned left, they opposed some narratives around COVID origins, Schiff, “Don’t Say Gay” bills, Hunter Biden and Trump pushed by NPR.
In response, former President Trump said “NO MORE” taxpayer funding for NPR, calling it a “LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE.”
NPR recently laid off 10% of staff as its business model declined.
“NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM! EDITOR SAID THEY HAVE NO REPUBLICANS, AND IS ONLY USED TO ‘DAMAGE TRUMP,’” Trump wrote. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!”
The editor said NPR’s audience was once balanced but is now just 11% conservative.
“In a follow-up email exchange, a top NPR news executive told me that she had been ‘skewered’ for bringing up diversity of thought when she arrived at NPR. So, she said, ‘I want to be careful how we discuss this publicly.'”
They presented findings on lack of diversity internally but met indifference.
An executive said bringing up diversity of thought got them “skewered” at NPR.
“For years, I have been persistent. When I believe our coverage has gone off the rails, I have written regular emails to top news leaders, sometimes even having one-on-one sessions with them. On March 10, 2022, I wrote to a top news executive about the numerous times we described the controversial education bill in Florida as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill when it didn’t even use the word gay. I pushed to set the record straight, and wrote another time to ask why we keep using that word that many Hispanics hate—Latinx. On March 31, 2022, I was invited to a managers’ meeting to present my observations,” Berliner wrote.
While the editor regularly flagged concerns, NPR’s chief news executive denied claims of bias, citing nuance and inclusion.
