Longtime NPR Business Editor Uri Berliner wrote an op-ed Tuesday arguing the outlet had lost its way and is now filled with political bias. Now, the network’s Editor-in-Chief is fighting back.
Berliner claimed NPR is not representative of the American public, and claimed the outlet missed or inaccurately reported three large stories in the past few years due to political biases from the employee base and editorial edicts from the company.
After the essay went viral, NPR Editor-in-Chief Edith Chapin defended the network from the criticism.
“I and my colleagues on the leadership team strongly disagree with Uri’s assessment of the quality of our journalism and the integrity of our newsroom processes,” Chapin wrote. “We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories. We believe that inclusion – among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage – is crucial to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world.”
She continued by noting that while she disagrees with the encapsulation from one of the outlet’s own editors, she said NPR is not above reproach.
“None of our work is above scrutiny or critique. We must have vigorous discussions in the newsroom about how we serve the public as a whole, fostering a culture of conversation that breaks down the silos that we sometimes end up retreating to. Ideally, we engage in this debate respectfully, with the goal of lifting up and strengthening each other’s work.”
