Former President Donald Trump slammed National Public Radio (NPR) just a day after a scathing op-ed by a senior editor, accusing the broadcaster of political bias.
In an all-caps post on his Truth Social platform, Trump on Wednesday demanded that funding be withheld from the nonprofit media outlet over the opinion piece, which was published on Tuesday by The Free Press.
“NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM! EDITOR SAID THEY HAVE NO REPUBLICANS, AND IS ONLY USED TO ‘DAMAGE TRUMP,'” the former president posted. “THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!”
NPR was established by an act of Congress and it does receive some federal funding in the form of grants. However, the radio broadcaster’s funding is primarily derived from member fees and donations. Although federal funding accounts for a small percentage of NPR’s budget, the outlet describes it as “essential” to public radio’s service. Eliminating funding would result in fewer programs and less resources for local journalism, eventually causing radio stations to disappear, “particularly in rural and economically distressed communities,” NPR has said previously.
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Newsweek reached out via email on Wednesday to representatives for NPR and Trump for comment.
Trump’s attack on the broadcaster comes shortly after editor Uri Berliner, who has worked at NPR for more than 20 years, wrote the opinion piece.
Berliner said that “those who listen to NPR or read its coverage online” are getting “the distilled worldview of a very small segment of the U.S. population.”
“An open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR, and now, predictably, we don’t have an audience that reflects America,” Berliner wrote. “That wouldn’t be a problem for an openly polemical news outlet serving a niche audience. But for NPR, which purports to consider all things, it’s devastating both for its journalism and its business model.”
The veteran journalist argued in his editorial that NPR’s coverage of Trump contributed to the broadcaster’s reputation of leaning left politically.
“But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency,” he wrote.
Berliner’s critical op-ed provoked a strong rebuke from NPR editorial staff.
Edith Chapin, editor-in-chief, wrote in a staff memo that she “strongly disagreed” with Berliner’s opinions of the radio broadcaster.
“We’re proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories,” Chapin wrote. “We believe that inclusion— among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage—is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world.”
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.