NPR Editor Steps Down Following Comments on Outlet’s Liberal Bias
Uri Berliner, NPR’s senior business editor, who sparked controversy by criticizing the outlet’s liberal bias in an essay, has stepped down.
Berliner, who was recently suspended without pay for five days after his essay was published on The Free Press, announced his resignation on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.
“I cannot continue working in a newsroom where I am disrespected by a new CEO whose divisive views exemplify the very issues at NPR that I highlighted in my Free Press essay,” Berliner stated.
Having spent 25 years at NPR, Berliner described the outlet as a “great American institution” and rejected calls to defund it.
The essay, published on April 9, criticized NPR for losing the public’s trust due to its progressive perspective.
NPR stated that Berliner was suspended because he did not seek approval before publishing the essay. His suspension served as a final warning, with termination being the consequence of any further policy violations, according to NPR.
Katherine Maher, NPR’s CEO, has faced scrutiny after her past social media posts critical of former President Donald Trump were brought to light. Maher joined NPR in January.
Following Berliner’s essay, The New York Times disclosed Maher’s controversial posts.
In one of the now-deleted posts from 2018, Maher referred to Trump as a racist. A tweet from November 2020 showed her wearing a hat with Joe Biden’s presidential campaign logo, mentioning a dream about a road trip with “Kamala,” likely Vice President Kamala Harris, trying nuts and baklava from roadside stands.
Speaking to NPR‘s David Folkenflik, Berliner expressed that Maher’s posts indicate she is not the right fit for her position.
Several NPR journalists informed Folkenflik that they are no longer willing to work with Berliner, as they doubt his ability to keep their conversations private.
Maher previously served as the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, supporting Wikipedia, during the time she made these posts.
Isabel Lara, a spokesperson for NPR, clarified that Maher’s posts were made when “she was not working in journalism at the time and was exercising her First Amendment right to express herself like any other American citizen.” Maher responded to Berliner’s criticisms in a memo to NPR staff, stating that questioning the integrity and dedication of employees based on their identity is disrespectful and hurtful.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has nearly two decades of experience covering various topics such as politics, crime, and business.
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