House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (R-Va.) has introduced a bill to block federal funding for National Public Radio (NPR), alleging a left-wing bias at the organization. Good’s Defund NPR Act would prohibit direct federal funding to NPR and prevent public radio stations receiving federal grants from using those funds to buy content from or pay dues to NPR.
Good asserts that NPR has a clear left-wing bias and that taxpayers should not be compelled to finance biased media. He emphasized that if a conservative-leaning media outlet were federally funded, there would be widespread public outrage.
Conservatives have long accused NPR of reporting with a left-wing slant, and these concerns have intensified recently following allegations by former NPR editor Uri Berliner that the outlet mishandled crucial stories related to Hunter Biden’s laptop hard drive and COVID-19 lab leak theories. Berliner also claimed that registered Democrats vastly outnumbered Republicans in the newsroom, 87 to 0.
NPR CEO Edith Chapin defended the organization’s commitment to covering a wide range of challenging stories and emphasizing inclusivity in staffing, sourcing, and overall coverage. However, Berliner was suspended without pay for five days following his allegations and subsequently resigned, citing a lack of trust in NPR’s leadership.
Good criticized NPR CEO Katherine Maher, stating that she ‘doesn’t seem concerned about truth’ and fits the organization’s left-wing orientation. He argued that NPR should not receive taxpayer funding due to its alleged bias.
While most of NPR’s funding comes from corporate sponsorships, it also benefits from federal funds through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which received a $535 million advance in the latest government funding deal.
