Far-left National Public Radio (NPR) issued a hasty rebuke Tuesday to senior business editor Uri Berliner after he took the broadcaster to task over its lack of diverse views and opinions bookended by left-wing bias.
Berliner, in his op-ed published in the Free Press, wrote the rise of advocacy at taxpayer-funded NPR “took off” with the election of former President Donald Trump in 2016.
The news veteran said he could count 87 registered Democrats in editorial positions but zero Republicans in the same positions in its Washington, DC, headquarters.
Berliner’s essay cited specific examples in which NPR’s coverage in recent years faltered and he argued while he too opposes Trump, the newsroom actively worked to “damage or topple Trump’s presidency.”
He declared NPR spun about the coronavirus “lab leak theory,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and the 2016 Russia hoax while harboring an obsession with DEI and progressive diktats.
“As in many newsrooms, his election in 2016 was greeted at NPR with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and despair,” he wrote. “But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency.”
“An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America,” Berliner stated.
NPR’s chief news executive, Edith Chapin, wrote in a memo to staff Tuesday afternoon she and the news leadership team strongly reject Berliner’s assessment.
“We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories,” she wrote. “We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world.”
She added, “None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole.”
A spokesperson for NPR said Chapin, who also serves as the network’s chief content officer, would have no further comment.
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