NPR editor resigns after suspension for essay accusing network of liberal bias

[URI BERLINER]

“After a while we started covering Trump, in a way that, like a lot of the legacy notes, news organizations that were trying to damage his presidency to even find anything we could to harm him. And I think what we latched onto was Russia collusion.”

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

URI BERLINER, A LONG-SERVING SENIOR EDITOR AT NPR, RESIGNED JUST DAYS AFTER BEING SUSPENDED FOR PUBLICLY CRITICIZING THE NETWORK’S PERCEIVED LIBERAL BIAS IN AN OP-ED.

IN A SOCIAL MEDIA POST WEDNESDAY, BERLINER SHARED HIS RESIGNATION LETTER, WHERE HE COMMENDED NPR AS A VALUABLE INSTITUTION BUT CRITICIZED ITS CURRENT LEADERSHIP FOR EXACERBATING ISSUES HE RAISED IN A RECENT OP-ED. 

HIS CRITIQUE, WHICH CLAIMED NPR CATERED EXCLUSIVELY TO A NARROW LIBERAL PERSPECTIVE, SPARKED SIGNIFICANT INTERNAL CONTROVERSY AND LED TO HIS SUSPENSION LAST WEEK FOR VIOLATING POLICIES REGARDING EXTERNAL PUBLICATIONS.

THE FALLOUT FROM BERLINER’S OP-ED HAS NOT ONLY REIGNITED DEBATES WITHIN NPR ABOUT ITS EDITORIAL DIRECTION BUT ALSO DRAWN ATTENTION FROM CONSERVATIVE CRITICS, INCLUDING THOSE HIGHLIGHTING PROGRESSIVE-ORIENTED SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS BY NPR’S CEO, KATHERINE MAHER BEFORE TAKING THE REIGNS AT THE NETWORK.

WHILE NPR’S BIAS ARGUMENTS ARE BACK IN THE HEADLINES — SENATOR MARSHA BLACKBURN OF TENNESSEE IS ALSO ONCE AGAIN PURSUING LEGISLATIVE MEASURES TO CUT FEDERAL FUNDING TO NPR, ARGUING THAT THE PUBLICLY FUNDED BROADCASTER SHOULD NOT EXHIBIT PARTISAN BIAS. 

BLACKBURN PREVIOUSLY AIMED TO REDUCE FUNDING FOR THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING by $50 million DURING HER TENURE AS A HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE IN 2011.