After repeated controversies, National Public Radio is earning some attention from several U.S. senators who are blasting the tax-funded network for its massive “ethical failures” with its obvious left-wing political bias.
The senators are speaking out in the wake of the outlet’s elevation of hard-core left-wing activist Katherine Maher to lead the organization, one of whose first acts was to punish an editor who published a public letter taking NPR to task for abandoning its journalistic integrity to push a left-wing ideology.
In a letter sent to the network on Monday, North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer wrote, “We have deep concerns regarding the editorial direction under NPR’s national leadership,” according to Fox News.
“Recent public reports have revealed a biased culture and slanted coverage at NPR’s headquarters, which is a profound disservice to the journalistic integrity expected of NPR and your local affiliates whose excellent reputation is tarnished by association,’” Cramer wrote in his news release.
The group of senators went on to say that NPR’s “National leadership has allowed and cultivated an environment where ideological bias not only creeps in but takes center stage.”
The accusation formed the central thesis of the letter by now former senior editor Uri Berliner who published an open letter to his NPR bosses early this month in which he explained that the network has shunned true diversity in favor of pushing the far-left narrative.
NPR has always leaned to the left, but as Berliner noted, back in 2011, “Twenty-six percent of listeners described themselves as conservative, 23 percent as middle of the road, and 37 percent as liberal.”
But by 2023, that has changed, and not for the better.
“By 2023, the picture was completely different: only 11 percent described themselves as very or somewhat conservative, 21 percent as middle of the road, and 67 percent of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal,” he wrote.
Should there be an independent investigation into NPR and its bias?
Berliner also pointed to NPR’s slanted coverage of George Floyd’s death and Hunter Biden’s laptop as examples of the network’s bias.
“It is not NPR’s job to tell Americans what to think but to inform them with unbiased facts. Moreover, the internal cultural shifts and management decisions to prioritize ideological narratives do not just undermine your organization’s integrity; they have also alienated a significant portion of your audience,” the senators wrote. “As Mr. Berliner points out, this has had tangible effects on NPR’s trust ratings and listener demographics, which have skewed increasingly away from any semblance of a broad, inclusive audience.”
With their letter, the senators went on to say that the bias at NPR isn’t just disappointing, but amounts to “an ethical failure.”
The letter said the “decidedly left-leaning editorial stance” at the network is a threat to “the integrity and diversity of thought.”
The senators also called for a “course correction” for the network.
“If NPR’s goal was to become an echo chamber, mission accomplished. But as a publicly funded entity, you are responsible for providing impartial coverage that accurately informs all Americans, regardless of political affiliation,” the senators continued.
“We urge you to start a course correction to address these issues. If NPR does not want to devolve into a one-sided opinion outlet, it should take a page from its local affiliates and embrace a culture of intellectual diversity and focus on balanced reporting,” the letter concluded.
The letter was cosigned by Republican conference Chairman John Barrasso of Wyoming and Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Eric Shmit of Missouri, Fox News added.
