Journalists are blasting news organizations for biases

NPR’s business editor of 25 years, Uri Berliner, resigned yesterday, criticizing the organization’s news coverage. He accused the new CEO, Katherine Maher, of having “divisive” views.

Before his resignation, Berliner faced a five-day suspension without pay for publishing a 3000-word piece criticizing NPR in The Free Press—a site by ex-New York Times editor Bari Weiss. She left NYT in 2020, citing the media outlet didn’t welcome a free exchange of ideas anymore.

Berliner quit following his suspension.
In his critique of his own organization, the ex-editor stated that the NPR newsroom in Washington D.C. had “87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans.”

NPR’s chief executive defended the network’s integrity but faced criticism for past liberal-leaning social media posts, including ones where she wore a hat supporting President Joe Biden’s 2020 election bid.

Not just NPR
Berliner’s public critique reflects a broader trend of employee activism in newsrooms. Several have recently expressed frustrations and concerns over journalistic integrity and coverage biases in their news organizations.

• In March, veteran anchor Chuck Todd criticized NBC for hiring the former head of the Republican National Committee (RNC), Ronna McDaniel, as a paid contributor. The media outlet dropped her from the role two days after the intense backlash.
• NYT journalists were divided over its coverage of the Gaza war, with several forming an “independence caucus” to ensure neutrality is maintained in news reporting.