Senator Ted Cruz, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, has accused National Public Radio (NPR) of bias, alleging that wealthy left-leaning donors and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals are influencing editorial decisions. In a letter to NPR CEO Katherine Maher, Cruz demanded assurances that the organization is not taking editorial cues from donors or DEI standards.
Cruz highlighted NPR’s funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which receives federal funding, as well as donations from wealthy benefactors. He claimed that NPR’s coverage aligns with the interests of these donors, suggesting that their contributions are influencing editorial decisions. He pointed to several examples of specific donors and NPR coverage that appeared to align with each contributor’s beliefs.
In response, an NPR spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the newsroom is independent and free from outside influence, stating that supporters have no input into editorial decisions and no access to journalists.
NPR has faced scrutiny for its editorial choices in the past. Earlier this year, longtime editor Uri Berliner penned an essay in the Free Press, publicly airing criticisms of his employer. He expressed concerns over NPR’s coverage of various events, including allegations of former President Trump’s collusion with Russia in the 2016 election, Hunter Biden’s laptop, and the theory that COVID-19 actually began in a lab in China and was leaked. He was suspended by NPR for the essay before resigning from the outlet entirely. This scandal led to renewed threats from Republican lawmakers to the funding for CPB, which is then funneled to NPR.
Cruz’s accusations are the latest in a series of controversies surrounding NPR’s editorial independence. The organization has been accused of bias in the past, and its reliance on funding from both the government and private donors has raised questions about its ability to maintain objectivity. This latest controversy is likely to fuel further debate about the role of public broadcasting in a democratic society.
