Maher asked Republicans to provide examples of left-wing bias. They delivered
NPR’s Katherine Maher, a former executive who called America “addicted” to white supremacy, is warning about looming federal cuts to her leftist broadcast organization.
Maher , a CBS News reporter, told on Thursday morning that the primary impact of rescinding funding for public broadcasting would be to harm rural stations, those that serve remote communities without access to local news, emergency reporting or emergency alerting. This was just hours after Senate cut funding.
She told CNN on Wednesday that she believes the senators who represent large rural and tribal communities are the ones with the greatest traction. “Broadband is not universal. Heck, cell phone service also isn’t universal.”
Maher has repeatedly criticized white Americans.
She wrote in May 2020: “America is addicted white supremacy, and that’s what the problem is.” She called President Donald Trump a “deranged racist sociopath”, a label she now regrets.
Maher wrote on June 2020. She wrote “Never underestimate white people’s ability to center themselves” a few weeks later.
Maher’s media campaign was a response to Republicans efforts to defund NPR. Overnight, the Senate passed a resolution to withdraw $9 billion of foreign aid funding and public broadcasting funds, sending them back to the House before a Friday deadline.
Maher told CNN that this was a way to make NPR look bad by slashing off the noses of their constituents. It doesn’t benefit anyone to remove this funding.”
She added, “As for the accusations that our newsroom is biased, I’d stand up and ask, ‘Please tell me a story you’re concerned about.’ We want to know, and we want that conversation to return to our newsroom.”
Sen. John Kennedy (R, La.) pointed at a speech he made on the floor in which he referred to NPR headlines such as “Christian nationalism is most popular in rural conservative states.” Sen. Eric Schmitt (R, Mo.) shared an image of a screenshot from the article “What ‘Queer Ducks,’ can teach teens about sexuality within the animal kingdom.”
Maher was already confronted with these examples at a hearing in March, when Republicans interrogated her about her past remarks and NPR’s bias. She denied the charges, but admitted the outlet “made a mistake in not covering the Hunter Biden Laptop story more aggressively and earlier.” She also said that the “new CIA proof” that COVID-19 could have come from a Wuhan laboratory leak is “worthy of coverage.”
Maher was appointed CEO of NPR by Uri Berliner in 2024, shortly after the abrupt resignation. Uri Berliner had criticized the “devastating bias” at the broadcaster. He also singled out Maher for his “divisive viewpoints.” Berliner made his allegations by pointing out that NPR had 87 Democrats in Washington, D.C., and 0 Republicans.
