House Republicans summon NPR CEO for hearing on 'rampant' bias allegations

FIRST ON FOX: The House Energy & Commerce Committee is summoning the caput of NPR earlier Congress to reply accusations the outlet has a left-wing bias contempt receiving federal funds.

"The Committee has concerns astir the absorption successful which NPR whitethorn beryllium headed nether past and contiguous leadership. As a payer funded, nationalist vigor organization, NPR should absorption connected just and nonsubjective quality reporting that some considers and reflects the views of the larger U.S. colonisation and not conscionable a niche audience," Committee Chairwoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., wrote to NPR CEO Katherine Maher.

She led Morgan Griffith, R-Va., seat of the subcommittee connected oversight, and Bob Latta, R-Ohio, seat of the subcommittee connected communications and technology, successful asking Maher to publically attest earlier Griffith’s sheet adjacent week.

"You are requested to look earlier the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee for a proceeding connected May 8, 2024, to explicate the allegations of governmental and ideological bias rampant astatine NPR," they wrote.

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The House Energy & Commerce Committee, led by Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, is probing NPR and its CEO, Katherine Maher. (Getty Images)

The lawmakers besides sent Maher a database of questions, including astir the governmental affiliations of registered voters moving successful the newsroom and whether immoderate concerns were raised successful caller years by NPR’s committee of directors astir governmental diverseness successful their workplace.

The committee besides asked for immoderate interior written materials regarding a deficiency of viewpoint diverseness wrong NPR.

Conservatives person agelong accused NPR of reporting with a left-wing bias portion immoderate of its backing is provided done national grants and different government-backed dollars.

Those concerns were precocious magnified erstwhile erstwhile NPR exertion Uri Berliner asserted successful an op-ed that the outlet mishandled captious stories that stemmed from Hunter Biden’s laptop hard thrust and COVID-19 laboratory leak theories, among others, and that registered Democrats were vastly overrepresented successful the newsroom, 87-0.

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Former NPR exertion Uri Berliner levied accusations of bias against the outlet. (JP Yim/WireImage)

"We besides find it disconcerting that NPR’s sum of large quality successful caller years has been truthful polarized arsenic to preclude immoderate request to uncover the truth. These person included quality stories connected matters of nationalist information and importance, specified arsenic the Mueller report, the Hunter Biden laptop, and the COVID-19 origins investigation. On each of these issues, NPR has been accused of approaching its quality reporting with an utmost left-leaning lens," the lawmakers wrote.

They besides took contented with Maher’s ain past statements, including a 2021 TED Talk successful which she said, according to the letter, "Our reverence for the information mightiness beryllium a distraction that’s getting successful the mode of uncovering communal crushed and getting things done."

"You yourself person stated that you presumption the First Amendment arsenic ‘the fig 1 challenge’ due to the fact that code protections marque it ‘tricky’ to suppress ‘bad information’ and the ‘influence peddlers who person made a existent marketplace system astir it.’’ Ironically, some you and NPR person utilized the aforesaid First Amendment to support your ain views and statements," they wrote. 

"In 2020, you took contented due to the fact that The New York Times chose to people an op-ed written by Republican Senator Tom Cotton, calling the portion ‘full of racist canine whistles.’"

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They asked that Maher reply their questions connected NPR’s past by May 14.

Maher criticized the backlash against NPR successful an interrogation with The Wall Street Journal past week, accusing her detractors of "bad religion distortion" of her views and statements.

Fox News Digital reached retired to NPR for remark connected the letter.