Uri Berliner is a senior business editor at NPR. In his 25 years with NPR, his work has been recognized with a Peabody Award, a Gerald Loeb Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Society of Professional Journalists New America Award, among others. Today, we
I listened to this Podcast because I have been an avid supporter of NPR for most of my adult life. To this day, Jim Lehrer, Judy Woodruff, David Brooks and so many others for their consistent, non biased reporting. And Hats off to Uri for having the guts to share his opinion…especially since it cost him his job!!! I have to agree, I am hearing more and more one-sided news being reported on NPR. I already gave up my subscription to the NYTimes for that reason, and was really hopeful about NPR. The good news, however, is that URI’s piece is making me listen with even more discriminating ears than I already was.
I listened to Uri Berliner interview today. When he described the NPR environment in woke-mode; it sounded as if he were describing my my co-workers, colleagues and directors. The Messianic mission to “rescue” society is more important than professional standards, rules and procedures. He sounds genuine and balanced. When people do what Berliner did - the substack essay (that I have not yet read); I suggest imagining and preparing for the worst possible outcome. I am curious how many journalists at NPR remained professional rather than become extremely biased. I am glad he wrote and spoke. Thank you Mr. Berliner.
A tangential remark: I thought after reading this that NPR CEO Katherine Maher may be a sociopath. So I looked Googled sociopath to ensure my understanding of the condition and came across WebMd's definition (link below). I discovered that the good woke doctors at WebMd have rebranded the condition as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). In their words, "When talking about the clinical disorder, say "person with ASPD." These simple changes lower the shame around the disorder so that people feel more comfortable getting a diagnosis and seeking treatment.” which made me laugh given that a hallmark trait of sociopaths is that they don’t care about what other people think or feel. It’s right there in the 2nd sentence of their own definition. What is the term used to describe the condition of openly contradicting yourself without any sense of fault? Answer: Leftism
“If you listen to Democratic elites — NPR is my go-to place for that — the whole talk is about how women, and women of color, are going to decide this election. I’m like: ‘Well, 48 percent of the people that vote are males. Do you mind if they have some consideration?” James Carville said.
Dyed in the wool liberals often test my fealty by quizzing my knowledge of NPR hosts and frequent guests. I usually fail because I'm not a name dropper. Still, the practice always seemed a bit self conscious.
Thank you, Uri Berliner, for spilling the beans from inside NPR. We have seen its disintegrating performance for years from the outside. NPR became nauseatingly politically correct and went from bad to worse. Any idea that came out of the fevered brains of the far left became a daily dirge on NPR. Its latest slide is of course targeting Israel and favoring the Palestinians. NPR now represents National Palestine Radio, it certainly does not represent or serve the Public's wish for balanced and truthful information. In its recent fundraising, WBUR (Boston) wailed about the the 40% drop in donations. Right on!! They are so into the gender blah and the deliberate support one side (Left..) of any political issue, to the detriment of truth, it is nauseating. WE haven't donated to them in many years. Don't believe they can self-correct.
I loved the article and just chucked at your National Palestinian Radio acronym, can you come up with one for me on the other radio channel I used to get unbiased news from. The BBC?
This guy is courageous for writing about this and doing the podcast. However, his conclusion that they should not be defunded is totally indefensible. Why should we support this incredibly biased ideological spin on "news?"
Never bought a gun even though it's my God-given right as an American. Reasoning:
1. Live in a very safe neighborhood
2. Have kids
This meant it was more likely that it would be used on a family member than a target. Home invasion likelihood is near zero, but the chance my toddler gets his hands on it are not.
Nowadays, with the state of the world and the ability of China to essentially send America into massive panic by incapacitating its critical infrastructure via cyberattack, the calculus is rapidly changing.
I have Doctorate, was first in my class, am a genius, am a University Professor, and a center-right lobbyist on important liberty issues whom BOTH sides listened to. Before 2016, I was, for more than a decade, at least a semi-annual guest on my local NPR affiliate's weekly political showcase program.
Then I "destroyed" intellectually a leading progressive on live TV. And Donald J. Trump ran for President AND won.
Since then my NPR affiliate executed an immediate and comprehensive LEFT face. I was never contacted again and never again appeared although the affiliate continued to cover now only one-side of the issue (in fact increased that one-sided coverage ).
I no longer listen to its music, commentary, or news. BTW, I no longer contribute any amount, much less big money, to NPR's constant begging campaigns,
Great essay and interview - hopefully this will bring attention to a major problem!! As Mr Berliner noted - a likely contributor to the low esteem/trust of the legacy media. Thank goodness for the FP!!
I was a 25 year daily commute listener and regular contributor. The piece describes me - avid fan who just stopped listening as often because it became indistinct from the other media outlets. I ended my recurring contributions after the pandemic. It's a shame because the programming brought me years of enlightenment, entertainment and interesting stories from storytellers I wouldn't have heard otherwise. I hope you succeed on your mission - unbiased public media reporting is essential in this time of headline grabbing clickbait media sources.
I never minded that NPR was historically left leaning, many newsrooms were. Speaking truth to power was what I knew real journalism to be. I understand how many contemporary news rooms are captured by their parent media company's advertisers, but NPR? They are funded by the government and donors so I don't understand why they abandoned journalism ethics so quickly and completely. Groupthink was proffered as the answer but that doesn't do it for me.
I listened to this Podcast because I have been an avid supporter of NPR for most of my adult life. To this day, Jim Lehrer, Judy Woodruff, David Brooks and so many others for their consistent, non biased reporting. And Hats off to Uri for having the guts to share his opinion…especially since it cost him his job!!! I have to agree, I am hearing more and more one-sided news being reported on NPR. I already gave up my subscription to the NYTimes for that reason, and was really hopeful about NPR. The good news, however, is that URI’s piece is making me listen with even more discriminating ears than I already was.
I listened to Uri Berliner interview today. When he described the NPR environment in woke-mode; it sounded as if he were describing my my co-workers, colleagues and directors. The Messianic mission to “rescue” society is more important than professional standards, rules and procedures. He sounds genuine and balanced. When people do what Berliner did - the substack essay (that I have not yet read); I suggest imagining and preparing for the worst possible outcome. I am curious how many journalists at NPR remained professional rather than become extremely biased. I am glad he wrote and spoke. Thank you Mr. Berliner.
A tangential remark: I thought after reading this that NPR CEO Katherine Maher may be a sociopath. So I looked Googled sociopath to ensure my understanding of the condition and came across WebMd's definition (link below). I discovered that the good woke doctors at WebMd have rebranded the condition as Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD). In their words, "When talking about the clinical disorder, say "person with ASPD." These simple changes lower the shame around the disorder so that people feel more comfortable getting a diagnosis and seeking treatment.” which made me laugh given that a hallmark trait of sociopaths is that they don’t care about what other people think or feel. It’s right there in the 2nd sentence of their own definition. What is the term used to describe the condition of openly contradicting yourself without any sense of fault? Answer: Leftism
https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/signs-sociopath
“If you listen to Democratic elites — NPR is my go-to place for that — the whole talk is about how women, and women of color, are going to decide this election. I’m like: ‘Well, 48 percent of the people that vote are males. Do you mind if they have some consideration?” James Carville said.
Pity.
Long time listener.
Dyed in the wool liberals often test my fealty by quizzing my knowledge of NPR hosts and frequent guests. I usually fail because I'm not a name dropper. Still, the practice always seemed a bit self conscious.
Thank you Mr. Berliner for standing up and daring to call out what you see going on.
Thank you Bari for allowing him to publish his essay on the FP and for the interview.
As Keith Fredlake said, I too am a NPR refugee.
Thank you, Uri Berliner, for spilling the beans from inside NPR. We have seen its disintegrating performance for years from the outside. NPR became nauseatingly politically correct and went from bad to worse. Any idea that came out of the fevered brains of the far left became a daily dirge on NPR. Its latest slide is of course targeting Israel and favoring the Palestinians. NPR now represents National Palestine Radio, it certainly does not represent or serve the Public's wish for balanced and truthful information. In its recent fundraising, WBUR (Boston) wailed about the the 40% drop in donations. Right on!! They are so into the gender blah and the deliberate support one side (Left..) of any political issue, to the detriment of truth, it is nauseating. WE haven't donated to them in many years. Don't believe they can self-correct.
I loved the article and just chucked at your National Palestinian Radio acronym, can you come up with one for me on the other radio channel I used to get unbiased news from. The BBC?
BBC is horrible
This guy is courageous for writing about this and doing the podcast. However, his conclusion that they should not be defunded is totally indefensible. Why should we support this incredibly biased ideological spin on "news?"
Well, he IS one of the 100% Democrat employees.
Never bought a gun even though it's my God-given right as an American. Reasoning:
1. Live in a very safe neighborhood
2. Have kids
This meant it was more likely that it would be used on a family member than a target. Home invasion likelihood is near zero, but the chance my toddler gets his hands on it are not.
Nowadays, with the state of the world and the ability of China to essentially send America into massive panic by incapacitating its critical infrastructure via cyberattack, the calculus is rapidly changing.
I am the perfect NPR listener and supporter.
I have Doctorate, was first in my class, am a genius, am a University Professor, and a center-right lobbyist on important liberty issues whom BOTH sides listened to. Before 2016, I was, for more than a decade, at least a semi-annual guest on my local NPR affiliate's weekly political showcase program.
Then I "destroyed" intellectually a leading progressive on live TV. And Donald J. Trump ran for President AND won.
Since then my NPR affiliate executed an immediate and comprehensive LEFT face. I was never contacted again and never again appeared although the affiliate continued to cover now only one-side of the issue (in fact increased that one-sided coverage ).
I no longer listen to its music, commentary, or news. BTW, I no longer contribute any amount, much less big money, to NPR's constant begging campaigns,
Great essay and interview - hopefully this will bring attention to a major problem!! As Mr Berliner noted - a likely contributor to the low esteem/trust of the legacy media. Thank goodness for the FP!!
Bari
Thank you!
I was a 25 year daily commute listener and regular contributor. The piece describes me - avid fan who just stopped listening as often because it became indistinct from the other media outlets. I ended my recurring contributions after the pandemic. It's a shame because the programming brought me years of enlightenment, entertainment and interesting stories from storytellers I wouldn't have heard otherwise. I hope you succeed on your mission - unbiased public media reporting is essential in this time of headline grabbing clickbait media sources.
Explanatory journalism killed true journalism. "The Narrative©" is all. Facts that don't support The Narrative© "must not be normalized." Witnesses that contradict The Narrative© "must not be platformed."
I never minded that NPR was historically left leaning, many newsrooms were. Speaking truth to power was what I knew real journalism to be. I understand how many contemporary news rooms are captured by their parent media company's advertisers, but NPR? They are funded by the government and donors so I don't understand why they abandoned journalism ethics so quickly and completely. Groupthink was proffered as the answer but that doesn't do it for me.
The reason thefp.com exist is because of NPR refugees.