In a candid op-ed that exposes the compromised integrity of a once-respected news outlet, NPR Senior Business Editor and 25-year veteran Uri Berliner pens a scathing critique of his own network, asserting that it has “lost its way” by neglecting viewpoint diversity, promoting alarmingly divisive narratives, and disregarding the truth in favor of ideological agendas.
Berliner’s article, titled “I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust”, published in The Free Press, laments the loss of the “open-minded, curious culture” that once prevailed at NPR, replaced by a biased echo chamber in which stories about racism, transphobia, climate change, and partisan politics dominate the airwaves, all covered and framed in the same fashion.
According to Berliner, the network’s editorial guidance actively discourages the use of terms like “biological sex” in transgender coverage, and has fostered a “frictionless” news environment that fails to engage meaningfully with alternative perspectives. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, he recalls how the systemic racism narrative became an undisputed fact at NPR.
Berliner cites multiple examples of misguided NPR coverage, including stories that cast The Beatles and bird names as racially problematic, others that use intersectional frameworks when discussing the Israel-Hamas conflict and overlook Hamas’ atrocities, and the network’s extensive reportage on the disproven Russiagate theory surrounding former President Donald Trump – which, when debunked, engendered no self-reflection or accountability from NPR.
Echoing concerns about media bias and trust, Berliner shares how NPR “turned a blind eye” to the Hunter Biden laptop scandal during the 2020 election, ignoring the potential implications for President Joe Biden and the pervasive corruption within the sphere of influential political families. In the same vein, NPR’s unwavering adherence to the mainstream COVID-19 narrative and dismissal of the lab-leak theory as a possible origin for the virus illustrates the network’s inability to engage in honest, open inquiry.
In a powerful conclusion, Berliner offers a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered media institution: “We could face up to where we’ve gone wrong. News organizations don’t go in for that kind of reckoning. But there’s a good reason for NPR to be the first: we’re the ones with the word ‘public’ in our name.” By embracing transparency, humility, and open-minded reporting, NPR might begin to restore the American public’s trust and reclaim its place as a standard-bearer for journalistic excellence. Only by confronting its failings head-on can the network endeavor to chart a new course and uphold the values of an informed, diverse democracy.
