The New York Times reports that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) called on National Public Radio (NPR) CEO Katherine Maher to resign before all federal funding for both the CPB and NPR was cut off. As in the past, Maher and the NPR board chose their own agendas over the interests of their institution and public radio.
I have long been a critic of Maher since her inexplicable selection by the NPR board to lead the media organization. Despite years of objections to NPR’s overt bias, many critics genuinely wanted NPR to reverse course and adopt more balanced coverage. That is why, when NPR was searching for a new CEO, I encouraged the board to hire a moderate figure without a history of political advocacy or controversy.
Instead, the board selected Katherine Maher, a former Wikipedia CEO widely criticized for her highly partisan and controversial public statements. She was the personification of advocacy journalism, even declaring that the First Amendment is the “number one challenge” that makes it “tricky” to censor or “modify” content as she would like.
Maher has supported “deplatforming” anyone she deems to be “fascists” and even suggested that she might support “punching Nazis.” She also declared that “our reverence for the truth might be a distraction [in] getting things done.”
As expected, the bias at NPR only got worse. The leadership even changed a longstanding rule barring journalists from joining political protests.
One editor had had enough. Uri Berliner had watched NPR become an echo chamber for the far left with a virtual purging of all conservatives and Republicans from the newsroom. Berliner noted that NPR’s Washington headquarters has 87 registered Democrats among its editors and zero Republicans.
Maher and NPR remained dismissive of such complaints. Maher attacked the award-winning Berliner for causing an “affront to the individual journalists who work incredibly hard.” She called his criticism “profoundly disrespectful, hurtful, and demeaning.”
Berliner resigned, after noting how Maher’s “divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR” that he had been pointing out.
In her disastrous appearance before Congress, Maher sat next to PBS CEO Paula A. Kerger and dismissed criticism. What was not disclosed is that PBS agreed with some of us that, if Maher truly wanted to save federal funding and protect NPR, she would resign.
According to the Times, our calls for her resignation were being repeated internally. Instead, the board that made the foolish choice of hiring Maher chose their ideological and personal agendas over the interests of their institution . . . again.
In the meantime, Maher and others were going public, bewailing the threat to journalism and calling on citizens to do everything that they could to protect NPR. The only thing that they were not willing to do was admit their own failure.
We have seen the same pattern in academia.
The fact is that this academic echo chamber may be killing educational institutions, but the intolerance still works to the advantage of faculty who can control publications, speaking opportunities, and advancement with like-minded ideologues.
We have watched the same perverse incentive in the media where outlets are seeing plummeting readers and revenue. Journalism schools and editors now maintain that reporters should reject objectivity and neutrality as touchstones of journalism.
It does not matter that this advocacy journalism is killing the profession. Reporters and editors continue to saw at the limb upon which they sit due to the same advantage for academics. For reporters, converting newsrooms into echo chambers gives them more security, advancement, and opportunities.
Recently, the new Washington Post publisher and CEO William Lewis was brought into the paper to right the ship. He told the staff “let’s not sugarcoat it…We are losing large amounts of money. Your audience has halved in recent years. People are not reading your stuff. Right. I can’t sugarcoat it anymore.”
The response from reporters was to call for owner Jeff Bezos to fire Lewis and others seeking to change the culture. The Post has been eliminating positions and just implemented another round of layoffs to address the budget shortfalls.
In the meantime, trust in the media is at record lows — paralleling the polling on higher education. The result is the rise of new media as people turn to blogs and other sources for their news.
If you read my comment this morning, please at least make it to the second paragraph below:
I have no problem with NPR or CPB. -Let them keep their opinions, sermons, and admonitions port side (Left) as they anchor or harbor along America’s biggest markets on the East and West coasts. That way, others can sail straight ahead or to starboard (Right) into the specious market hubble, but at least avoid collision.
Notwithstanding, I DO have a problem with the international flags that NPR and CPB fly under: “Public Media.”
Clearly that is intended to imply, in fact, mandate, serving the public waters at large.
Ollie struck mark with his comment this morning @9:02, ““Public funding is a public trust. Once that trust is broken, the subsidy is no longer justified.” Despite losing public funding, NPR has upped its donations in both requests and responses. It now fully caters to left-wing ideology and propaganda.
But how does any entity TRULY representing the public at large effect the responsibility of advising or notifying that a vessel flying under the flag of “Public Media” actually sails Left or Right and not on a neutral course? Should it lose its flag, under the auspices of which it sails? Or should it be made to identify its flag with true colors, as Cyndi Lauper might see the reality. I do not expect to lay anchor near a sign that says “Public Beach” and find it overtaken with nudist colonies. Instead, I would expect a sign to say, “Nudist Colony- Public Invited.”
Remember, a stern light is white and has an arc of @132-135 degrees which can accommodate the vision of wayward or drifting views and opinions. But also remember, when two vessels of ideology are approaching one another head-to-head, the RULES are that BOTH vessels must change course to starboard (to the RIGHT) and pass each other in peace. Thus, RIGHT is the stand-on vessel path.
I have fun and party with my port side friends as well, and we have a great time and good polemics, -both going home with food for thought. But they know that I will sail home leaning starboard.
“In the meantime, Maher and others were going public, bewailing the threat to journalism and calling on citizens to do everything that they could to protect NPR. ”
We should be grateful to Katherine Maher & the NPR board for providing us was an insufferable and stellar example of enlightened self interest in today’s news media.
The Good News in this story is how well the marketplace worked once again to win out over the ideologues. I’ll buy the truth, day-in and day-out but don’t expect me to underwrite your propaganda and lies.
Yes , National propaganda radio has to fund it’s own insanity now !.
Could PBS feature a McLaughlin Group today?
A William F. Buckley-led Firing Line?
Once one understands that leftism is a cult that comes before everything, it will all become crystal clear why all theses things have been happening, are happening and will continue to happen if they are allowed to. The Long March Through the Institutions isn’t just a slogan. Its a way of life for them.
What is tragically ironic is that we were warned by Joe McCarthy about all of this and he was shut down by the same progressive infiltrators who now command much of our cultural institutions and media. This comes a no surprise to true students of history, only to the gullible who listened to the legacy media all those decades.
The most egregious thing was pbs, not npr, when it turned over Washington Week in Review to the suckers and losers of the Slantlantic Monthly.
We knew the MAGAs wanted her gone. So what?
It is not that we want her gone. It is the sane, normal, moderate and traditional Democrats who want their old NPR back and her gone. I am perfectly fine with her staying, the rest of the far leftists that have taken over NPR. Just sit back and watch them report themselves into woke irrelevancy.
Hey Anonymous, I’m MAGA and I didn’t want her gone. She was a good soldier who turned the nation against the woke just like you. Why would I want someone gone who so completely represents the insanity of the left. It’s the same reason that I hope that you keep commenting. I am all for your right to speak because you do more to help MAGA than I do. However, you have on many occasions said that I should not be free to speak. Thanks for your contribution.
TiT,
Well said and I agree!
You derp often ?.
MAGAs don’t listen to NPR.
Sure we do, did you ever hear that wise statement; keep your friends close but your enemies closer. We listen and watch and then expose to the glare of sunlight the swampy mess that it has become. Why allow these prog tools to hide in their tunnels much like hamas; shine the light on them every day and show the world what they are.
Wrong, we wanted her exposed for the radical prog jihadist that she is. Sunlight on a festering wound, that is what those committee hearings exposed.
national palestinian radio
Are there federally funded things that benefit mostly conservatives?
The majority of members of the US military members are conservative.
Advocacy journalism is poisonous where it chooses stories and bends facts to opinion-shape (dupe) the public. We don’t want government policing the media, but it does need to be disciplined, so the question is, who should?
Audiences. Audience abandonment is a tool in every citizen’s toolset. Turn away from news that panders to your politics. Scour the political infospace broadly, and compare news sources for non-advocacy. Stay away from comfort food, especially grievance-bait. Journalism should present info that challenges and refines your thinking by busting conventional narratives.
Legitimate journalism presents facts. Who, what, where, when. The *why* can virtually never be presented without bias. That’s the downfall of modern journalism. Analysis of the *why* and challenges and refinements to thinking are the provence of the editorial page.
This is not only made worse by such evil at NPR for example ,but do not forget obammy took out the Smith-Mundt act. By taking that act out Obammy greenlighted dark agencies like CIA , USAID to fund and push propaganda upon the American people. NPR is a symptom of this and it’s own victim. Listen to NPR today and they go out of their way to not only not hide their bias , but proclaim it like a badge of dishonor.
Entitlement is a difficult mental condition to cure. She’s like someone who refuses to believes that she has cancer. Unfortunately all sense of reality has been lost. The mind weevil has had its day. He lookin for a home he found him a home.
So for 2026, it has been confirmed: water is still wet.
And in other breaking news: we have a reminder that the Democrat-Mainstream Media Marxist Propaganda Complex has not changed as political hacks and has no intention to change.
Invaluable information to have for the new year!
Get ready to fall off your chair. The Washington Post published an article today about twenty good things that Trump did in 2025. https://archive.is/hDe1X
The Post is starting to understand that no one was reading what the Trump haters had to offer.
They were blind but now they kinda see. In a way I hate to see it because know it or not they inadvertently helped the Republicans to win the Senate the House and the Presidency. Abe spoke some wise words.
“You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
On her death bed this woman will raise a craggy finger and in a horse voice she will say in a whisper
Trump Nazi! Trump Nazi! The good Lord will not be amused.
This woman is a horse whisperer? Is she whiny or does she whinny, whitey?
At this point I have to question these uber-progressive’s sanity – it goes beyond ethics or a lack thereof. This was pure volatility, and NPR made its bed for itself. They went much, much too far (ditto Wikipedia and CPB). The colleges and culture that breed this mentality need to be fumigated.
Don’t sell NPR short! We keep a radio tuned to NPR. When we leave the house, we turn it on so that it is loud enough to be heard outside our doors and windows. Our thinking is that a smart thief (who is less likely to be caught) would not want to break in and have to listen to it and so he or she will move on. A dumb thief who could tolerate it would likely be caught before getting half way down the street. Our only concern is that if a thief somehow got trapped in our house, we could be sued for intentional infliction of mental anguish. At any rate, so far it has worked.
Very sad and unfair to ruin NPR with left wing only perspective. There was a substantial improvement under the Reagan Admin so it can be done. And do not make it a conservative only service. Start something good with fair and reasonable appearance of multiple views.
Is she related to or in a phake marriage with Rosie? Sounds like apples from the same tree..
If commercial FM would stop playing Gold Dust Woman every 20 minutes and pick up on NPR’s music library, I’d have no need to tune below 92MHz.
Indeed, I miss the glory days of WLS 890 AM Chicago, when Rock would Roll
88 MHz to 92 MHz is the public radio ghetto on the radio.
Dear U.S. Chamber of Commerce, leftwing MBAs will gladly torch your companies before they’ll give them back to the shareholders. How many times will you let them march through your institutions before you get that through your thick skulls???? Your runaway globalist-leftism is becoming a cost center for everybody.
There’s no point to even posing the question to college presidents; they’re the source of the problem.
Why does Maher and her board remind me of the nazi’s last stand at The Battle of Castle Itter? I mean, her actions are as dedicated to a cause and any jihadi flying planes towards towers. Same fanaticism, same goal.
Agree, mama. Radical Islam is a religious ideology, and radical chic is an ideological religion. Their mindsets are remarkably similar.
You can see it in their eyes…feminist’s raging eyes, prog’s raging eyes, somali’s raging eyes and let’s not even mention the eyes of certain members of congress and the press pool.
Diogenes, do you believe radical Islam to be a religious or policial ideology?
Pretty sure all sane people see it is both at once. As well as being intolerant and very supportive of violence in it’s name.
I see it as a military cult masquerading as a concocted religion.
Plus they both rejoice in death and destruction of any perceived enemy of their dogmas.