It took practically 5 years, however NPR on Wednesday lastly admitted that the left-leaning broadcaster made a mistake in failing to promptly cowl the Hunter Biden laptop computer scandal.
The mea culpa by NPR’s chief government Katherine Maher got here throughout intense questioning from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and different Republican legislators throughout a congressional subcommittee listening to relating to the broadcaster’s perceived bias in its protection.
“I do want to say that NPR acknowledges we were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively or sooner,” Maher advised the committee.
GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration’s Division of Authorities Effectivity are eager on slashing federal funds to each NPR and PBS as a consequence of their left-leaning editorial bent.
Maher’s admission corroborates claims made by former NPR editor Uri Berliner, who left the publicly funded outlet final 12 months and criticized his former bosses for ignoring The Publish’s unique reporting about Hunter Biden’s laptop computer earlier than the 2020 election.
Maher, who beforehand led Wikipedia and assumed the NPR management position simply final 12 months, was subjected to persistent questioning about her private views and prior social media posts.
Amongst these was a tweet by which she labeled former President Trump a “racist” and “sociopath” through the 2020 presidential marketing campaign.
Confronted straight by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) about her previous feedback, Maher conceded, “I regret [them] today.”
She additional admitted that NPR’s information staff “has work to do” relating to the group’s provision of balanced and reliable journalism.
The listening to included testimony from each Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger — although Maher was the first focus of Republican criticism.
GOP lawmakers zeroed in on NPR’s delayed response in masking revelations in regards to the now-infamous laptop computer belonging to Hunter Biden and containing materials that raised severe questions on his worldwide enterprise actions.
“Our current editorial leadership thinks that was a mistake, as do I,” Maher admitted, referencing NPR’s preliminary reluctance to research the difficulty.
The laptop computer in query, which was deserted at John Paul Mac Isaac’s Delaware restore store, contained emails exposing Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine and China through the time his father served as vice chairman.
Preliminary skepticism from NPR was evident when the outlet prematurely reported in March 2021 that US intelligence had discredited the laptop computer story — solely to later right their declare upon realizing that intelligence officers had by no means made such a dedication.
Solely after the initiation of a federal investigation and additional authentication of the laptop computer’s contents, which revealed Hunter Biden’s worthwhile connections with international corporations, did NPR start complete protection.
The controversy intensified additional when Hunter Biden confronted felony fees final 12 months that ultimately resulted in convictions. However he was spared jail time after President Joe Biden pardoned him and different members of the family simply earlier than leaving workplace.
Greene expressed pointed dissatisfaction through the listening to, sharply criticizing Maher’s earlier feedback and questioning her suitability to supervise a corporation receiving taxpayer assist.
“Let’s walk through some of your statements so the public can understand your personal views,” Greene stated, highlighting Maher’s earlier remarks that America was “addicted” to white supremacy and significant feedback regarding binary gender terminology.
Greene argued vigorously that NPR should uphold neutrality on condition that it’s partly funded by taxpayers. She additionally challenged Maher’s private ideology as inconsistent with the broadcaster’s mission.
NPR receives lower than 1% of its annual price range straight from federal authorities grants — although its member stations rely closely on public funding. A lot of the taxpayer cash for PBS and NPR is distributed via the Company for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which was allotted $535 million for fiscal 12 months 2024–25.
Whereas bigger NPR stations usually obtain 10–15% of their budgets from CPB, smaller and rural stations can depend on it for as much as 30% or extra, making oblique federal assist essential to NPR’s general funding construction.
PBS itself obtains about 16% of its funding straight from federal sources, although most federal {dollars} go on to native member stations, particularly smaller and rural retailers reliant on these funds.
The remainder of PBS’s price range comes from personal donations, company sponsorships, and non-governmental funding sources.
