The bombshell essay penned by veteran NPR editor Uri Berliner this week is reportedly causing "turmoil" at his news organization.
Berliner made waves on Tuesday for calling out the liberal groupthink that has plagued NPR's newsroom, pointing to their mishandling of Russiagate, the Hunter Biden laptop, the COVID lab leak theory and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as examples of its left-wing bias while prioritizing racial diversity over ideological diversity.
On Thursday, The New York Times detailed the "internal tumult" that has erupted among Berliner's colleagues and NPR leadership.
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According to their report, the essay was brought up at what was described as a "long-scheduled meet-and-greet" with the hosts of NPR's biggest shows on Wednesday, where NPR editor-in-chief Edith Chapin reportedly said she did not want Berliner to become a "martyr."
"Mr. Berliner’s essay also sent critical Slack messages whizzing through some of the same employee affinity groups focused on racial and sexual identity that he cited in his essay. In one group, several staff members disputed Mr. Berliner’s points about a lack of ideological diversity and said efforts to recruit more people of color would make NPR’s journalism better," The Times said.
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A producer of NPR's "Morning Edition" reportedly rejected Berliner's case about why NPR's audience has dwindled in recent years, insisting a "variety of factors" contributed to it.
NPR managing editor of standards and practices Tony Cavin disputed Berliner's bias assertions and claimed the essay will likely make it more difficult for NPR journalists to do their jobs.
"The next time one of our people calls up a Republican congressman or something and tries to get an answer from them, they may well say, ‘Oh, I read these stories, you guys aren’t fair, so I’m not going to talk to you,’" Cavin told The Times.
Others took to social media to weigh in on Berliner's essay. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans slammed the "terrible" piece on X and swiped at Berliner for not seeking comment from NPR before being published in The Free Press.
NPR correspondent Brian Mann, who described himself as an "aging rural White man," said he "felt welcome, supported, heard and respected by my colleagues" despite Berliner's criticism of the racial diversity push.
Meanwhile, former NPR ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin said Berliner was "not wrong," while former NPR managing editor Chuck Holmes commended Berliner's "brave" essay on Facebook.
Berliner told The Times that while he hasn't been disciplined, he "received a note from his supervisor reminding him that NPR requires employees to clear speaking appearances and media requests with standards and media relations." The Times noted that Berliner said he did not run the remarks he told the paper by NPR.
NPR did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Berliner's stunning critique of his employer laid out jarring allegations against the outlet, particularly the anti-Trump stance he said it embraced after 2016.
"As in many newsrooms, [former President Trump's] election in 2016 was greeted at NPR with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and despair… But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency," Berliner wrote.
The editor knocked NPR for allowing Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., to be an "ever-present muse" during Russiagate and said he "listened as one of NPR’s best and most fair-minded journalists said it was good we weren’t following the [Hunter Biden] laptop story because it could help Trump."
He also took aim at how NPR made diversity its "North Star" while pointing out that 87 of its editors were registered Democrats while zero were Republicans.
Chapin sent a memo to staff Tuesday saying she and her leadership team colleagues "strongly disagree" with Berliner's essay and are "proud to stand behind the exceptional work" of their journalists.
