NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust
NPR Online NewsApr 10
The Facts
Uri Berliner, an employee of National Public Radio (NPR) for 25 years who had been suspended after publishing an essay accusing the network of liberal bias, resigned from the media outlet on Wednesday.
In a statement on X, Berliner said he had quit after being "disparaged" by NPR's Chief Executive Officer — claiming their "divisive views" confirmed the "very problems at NPR I cited in my Free Press essay."
The Spin
Left narrative
Berliner deserved disciplinary action for not reaching out to NPR before publishing his op-ed. While he was entitled to free speech as a private citizen, Berliner had no right to violate NPR's internal policy as a journalist on its payroll. By going to another news outlet with his network's scathing criticism, the veteran editor violated trust and reached the point of no return.
Right narrative
Berliner has paid the price for exposing NPR's far-left-leaning bias. No longer focused on truth, the organization has moved from objective reporting to partisan favoritism. As political polarization continues to grow, Berliner's resignation should stir up a fresh debate around taxpayer-funded public media's sizeable shift to appease the far left.
Nerd narrative
There's a 75% chance that the US will continuously be a liberal democracy until 2040, according to the Metaculus prediction community.