Following an essay published last week in which an NPR editor criticized the network’s “lack of viewpoint diversity,” former President Donald Trump and others called for the network to lose its public funding.
Topline
An NPR senior editor who was suspended has resigned after publicly criticizing the network’s coverage as too left-leaning—and facing harsh internal criticism as a result—and took a shot on his way out at the network’s CEO, whose old tweets supporting progressive issues created their own scandal.Key Facts
Last week, veteran business editor Uri Berliner published an essay in The Free Press—a site founded by an ex-New York Times opinion editor popular among people who believe mainstream media has become too liberal—titled “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.”
On Wednesday, Berliner announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, he resigned from his role at NPR and shared part of his resignation later, which read: “I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay.”
The essay criticized the network for having little viewpoint diversity among its staff, said “an open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR” and said political motives have infiltrated coverage of major topics including the recent presidential elections and COVID-19.
On Tuesday, NPR reported Berliner had received a five-day suspension and “final warning” for the essay he published, with the official reasoning being he “failed to secure its approval for outside work for other news outlets, as is required of NPR journalists”—though the article said the rebuke did not mention at least one other instance where Berliner spoke to media but did not get permission.
