NPR CEO Defends Organization Amid Funding Cuts

Katherine Maher, the CEO of National Public Radio (NPR), attempted to assure the public on Thursday that her organization is politically neutral.

Despite Maher’s assertions, critics point to NPR’s history of publishing headlines that seem to favor a particular political stance and not always correcting misleading narratives. Her comments came just before the Senate passed a funding package proposed by President Donald Trump, which slashes $9 billion from public broadcasting entities that support both NPR and PBS.

“Regarding the accusations of bias, we’re definitely a nonpartisan organization. We strive to serve the whole American audience,” Maher stated.

However, Maher has previously made strong criticisms of Trump, labeling him as “racist” in 2018, and in a 2020 post, she described him as a “crazy racist sociopath,” further claiming that the U.S. is “crazy about white supremacy.”

In 2020, NPR chose not to report on the Hunter Biden laptop allegations prior to the elections, stating that it didn’t want to spend listeners’ time on a topic deemed a distraction. Additionally, in November 2018, the network inaccurately reported that Donald Trump Jr. misled the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Trump Tower in Moscow.

NPR has also criticized the origins of COVID-19, labeling the lab leak theory as unsubstantiated, despite some scientific discussions suggesting a potential connection to a Wuhan lab. The organization halted broadcasts of Trump’s coronavirus task force briefings in March 2020.

Past reports from NPR have even described country music and birds as “racist.” Moreover, the network has promoted claims of conspiracy theories involving Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, and has addressed contentious debates around biological differences in sports without robust evidence.

Uri Berliner, a former NPR editor, expressed in a previous article that the network’s focus on racial and identity issues may have led to a narrowing of perspectives. He suggested that NPR’s push for narratives around Russiagate aimed at undermining Trump also contributed to a loss of trust.

The White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt remarked on Thursday that both NPR and PBS are perceived as sources of left-leaning propaganda. She responded to inquiries from a Daily Caller reporter, suggesting that cutting NPR’s funding could be considered a public safety issue.