NPR CEO lashes out at senior editor over scathing op-ed accusing network of political bias

National Public Radio (NPR) CEO and president Katherine Maher has publicly criticized senior editor Uri Berliner over an op-ed he wrote for The Free Press, in which he claimed that NPR had displayed political bias on multiple occasions and, as a result, had "lost America's trust."

Maher, who assumed her role at NPR just three weeks ago, called Berliner's assessment "deeply simplistic" as well as "profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning."

In her response, Maher refrained from mentioning Berliner by name or providing specific details regarding his comments. Instead, she emphasized NPR's dedication to providing information to the public and expressed concern that the outlet's "service to this aspirational mission was called in question this week."

"Asking a question about whether we're living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions," Maher stated. "Questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning."

Maher's remarks appeared to suggest that Berliner's assessment of bias was based on his own objections to a diverse workplace. However, in his op-ed, Berliner had provided a series of examples where diversity of thought had either been absent or actively suppressed within the organization.

Maher went on to argue that it is "deeply simplistic to assert that the diversity of America can be reduced to any particular set of beliefs, and faulty reasoning to infer that identity is determinative of one's thoughts or political leanings." She emphasized that NPR's colleagues are "excellent, accomplished professionals with an intense commitment to our work" and that the organization is "stronger because of the work we do together."

The CEO's objections brought attention to a number of her old Twitter posts came to light, revealing her personal political leanings.

NPR's new CEO is just as insane as you'd expect her to be pic.twitter.com/BDob66lNne

— Nate Hochman (@njhochman) April 14, 2024

Two years ago I made a commitment to never step on a speaker's stage without talking about our climate crisis. It is the world we have built and our responsibility to confront. https://t.co/nSH8hDas5r

— Katherine Maher (@krmaher) August 13, 2021

If we can basically agree people should wear a mask to the grocery store because it's in the best interests of most of us, we should also be able to protect the vast majority of us who want to go to the grocery store (and other public venues) without risk of fatal gun violence.

— Katherine Maher (@krmaher) March 23, 2021