Momentum is Building on the Hill to Defund NPR

By Jason Lee

Recently, former National Public Radio journalist Uri Berliner resigned after exposing the entrenched far-left influences on the taxpayer-funded media outlet in its news coverage. Berliner wrote:

Race and identity became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace. Journalists were required to ask everyone we interviewed their race, gender, and ethnicity (among other questions), and had to enter it in a centralized tracking system. We were given unconscious bias training sessions. A growing DEI staff offered regular meetings imploring us to “start talking about race.” Monthly dialogues were offered for  “women of color” and “men of color.” Nonbinary people of color were included, too.

In addition, Katherine Maher, the new CEO of NPR, also played a part in his decision to resign after a series of her old social media posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, resurfaced. These posts reflected the very far-left bias Berliner exposed in his bombshell essay.  

For example, one of the posts justified looting after the death of George Floyd during the riots of Summer 2020 : “I mean, sure, looting is counterproductive. But it’s hard to be mad about protests not prioritizing the private property of a system of oppression founded on treating people’s ancestors as private property.” 

In the wake of Berliner’s resignation, several members of Congress have introduced bills to defund NPR. One such bill that has gained traction is H.R.1632 – NPR and PBS Act from Texas Congressman Ronny Jackson. Introduced in March 2023, the bill has picked up 12 cosponsors in just the last two weeks, including members who had introduced their own bills on the subject. As Congressman Jackson stated on Fox News: “After this damning report by [Berliner] that confirms the extreme bias of NPR, Americans are outraged that their hard-working taxpayer dollars go toward an out-of-touch rag that is not representative of our country.” 

The American people deserve to know how their tax dollars are used, and if they are used to promote an anti-American agenda and principles. But even if they were perfectly neutral, the two big public-funded networks, NPR and PBS, should not receive federal subsidies that their competitors do not. Congress should strip these outlets of their funding and make them play by the same rules as the rest of the media. Before that happens, Congress should hold a hearing on why left-wing propaganda is so prevalent at NPR and PBS. 

Check out the additional reasons why NPR should be defunded provided by the Media Research Center.