Daily Caller columnist Mary Rooke questioned Tuesday on Newsmax the motive behind National Public Radio (NPR) suspending whistleblower editor Uri Berliner.
Rooke appeared on “Carl Higbie Frontline” to discuss the recent suspension of Berliner after he spoke out about his outlet’s bias during former President Donald Trump’s term in an essay published by The Free Press. Newsmax host Carl Higbie asked Rooke about the issue and punishment Berliner received. (RELATED: NPR Suspends Editor Who Blew Whistle On Left-Wing Takeover Of Newsroom)
“First of all, if you are going to talk bad about your employer, you’re gonna have to expect some sort of backlash, like you said. I mean, that’s just understandable. However, he tried and attempted in several different ways to let NPR know that what they were doing was not just a travesty to their company, but a travesty to American citizens that read their publication and follow their news, and trust their source —”
“And we pay for it!” Higbie added.
“Yes, and we pay for it. We pay for it with our taxes. Then whenever you look at it now — the CEO … and you’re looking at all of these past tweets and what she did. You know, going out for Biden and talking about how climate change was racist, just like Jane Fonda and all of these different things. You start to wonder, well, was this really because he attacked his employer, or is it because he sounded the alarm about something they didn’t want the American people to even be focused on?” Rooke questioned.
The 25-year NPR veteran detailed in his essay that along with biased reporting during Trump’s administration, all levels of the organization prioritized race and identity along with an increase in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Following the release of Berliner’s callout, NPR pushed back against the statements. Chief News Executive Edith Chapin told staff in a memo that they were “proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories.”
However, the outlet officially suspended the editor Friday for five days without pay.
As the outlet received pushback from the decision Tuesday, NPR’s new CEO Katherine Maher faced online backlash as previous tweets resurfaced, revealing the executive’s apparent support of President Joe Biden in 2020 and comments accusing former President Donald Trump of being “racist.”