A group of Republican senators sent a letter to National Public Radio expressing concern over perceived political bias and a lack of ideological diversity at the organization.
The senators accused NPR of abandoning journalistic integrity in favor of pushing a left-wing agenda under new leadership.
“We have deep concerns regarding the editorial direction under NPR’s national leadership,” the senators wrote.
They cited a decline in conservative listenership and analysis showing NPR’s coverage has skewed more liberal in recent years.
While NPR has traditionally leaned left, the senators argued it is failing in its mission to inform all Americans with impartial facts.
“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,’” they wrote.
NPR’s “National leadership has allowed and cultivated an environment where ideological bias not only creeps in but takes center stage,” the senators wrote.
“Twenty-six percent of listeners described themselves as conservative, 23 percent as middle of the road, and 37 percent as liberal,” Berliner wrote in 2011.
“By 2023, the picture was completely different: only 11 percent described themselves as very or somewhat conservative, 21 percent as middle of the road, and 67 percent of listeners said they were very or somewhat liberal,” he wrote in 2023.
“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.”
“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 wrote.
They urged NPR to embrace intellectual diversity and balanced reporting to regain trust and appeal to a broader audience.
“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 added.
