Senator Cramer Leads Letter Highlighting NPR Bias, Urging Journalistic Integrity

"Recent public reports have revealed a biased culture and slanted coverage at NPR's headquarters, which is a profound disservice to the journalistic integrity expected of NPR and your local affiliates whose excellent reputation is tarnished by association."

WASHINGTON - Former National Public Radio (NPR) Senior Editor Uri Berliner announced his resignation after an article was published in the Free Press, accounting the network's record of biased reporting and losing the trust of the public.

In his article, Berliner explained "… what's notable is the extent to which people at every level of NPR have comfortably coalesced around the progressive worldview. And this, I believe, is the most damaging development at NPR: the absence of viewpoint diversity." The former NPR Senior Editor pointed to three widely followed stories where he believed the network faltered: the 2016 presidential election, verification of emails pertaining to Hunter Biden's business dealings, and coverage of COVID-19.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) led several of his colleagues in sending a letter to NPR Chief Executive Officer Katherine Maher, highlighting deep concerns regarding the network's national leadership and calling for the enforcement of journalistic standards Americans deserve.

The letter emphasizes the important role Maher plays in rectifying the missteps that have tarnished NPR's reputation. Public reporting has resurfaced Maher's own history of posting anti-Trump tweets. The senators request the outlet embrace a "culture of intellectual diversity and focus on balanced reporting" and noted Berliner's article highlights a "troubling deviation from NPR's supposed mission of providing unbiased and reliable journalism."

"It is not NPR's job to tell Americans what to think but to inform them with unbiased facts. Moreover, the internal cultural shifts and management decisions to prioritize ideological narratives do not just undermine your organization's integrity; they have also alienated a significant portion of your audience," the senators wrote. "As Mr. Berliner points out, this has had tangible effects on NPR's trust ratings and listener demographics, which have skewed increasingly away from any semblance of a broad, inclusive audience."

The letter commends local affiliates for their dedication and professionalism, and cautions NPR's bias is besmirching their good reputation. NPR should realign its editorial practices to reflect balance.

"If NPR's goal was to become an echo chamber, mission accomplished. But as a publicly funded entity, you are responsible for providing impartial coverage that accurately informs all Americans, regardless of political affiliation," the senators continued. "We urge you to start a course correction to address these issues. If NPR does not want to devolve into a one-sided opinion outlet, it should take a page from its local affiliates and embrace a culture of intellectual diversity and focus on balanced reporting."

The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Dan Sullivan (R-AK).

Click here for the letter.

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