In an exclusive article written by right-wing news organization The Daily Caller and in a series of tweets posted on X, Banks said that Americans shouldn't be "forced to fund Democrat propaganda."
All of the drama began when a senior business editor at NPR, Uri Berliner, had an essay published in the Free Press about what he felt was a serious issue at the media organization — that the liberal biases of the reporters compromised good journalism. According to Berliner, the media organization had lost America's trust with its progressive slant.I just introduced legislation to defund NPR.
— Jim Banks (@Jim_Banks) April 19, 2024
NPR’s new CEO is a radical, left-wing activist who doesn’t believe in free speech or objective journalism.
American taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund Democrat propaganda.https://t.co/eNVghUBgrO
Berliner received a five-day suspension for his essay, with NPR reprimanding the editor for failing to get approval from them to write an assignment for another publication.
He officially resigned on April 17, writing in a social media post that he couldn't work for the network’s chief executive, Katherine Maher, who criticized him publicly.
"I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new C.E.O. whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay," Berliner said on X.
His comments are likely in response to Maher's official statement on the matter released on April 12, in which she seemingly criticized Berliner for questioning the integrity of NPR journalists.
"Asking a question about whether we're living up to our mission should always be fair game: after all, journalism is nothing if not hard questions," Maher said in her statement. "Questioning whether our people are serving our mission with integrity, based on little more than the recognition of their identity, is profoundly disrespectful, hurtful and demeaning."
After Berliner's essay was published, many right-wing thinkers were quick to criticize NPR and call for its defunding, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Elon Musk.
Currently, NPR is funded mostly by corporate sponsors and licensing and member fees. According to NPR, less than 1% of the media company's cash flow comes from grants from the publicly funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting and "federal agencies and departments."
Banks, who is running for Indiana's U.S. senate seat, introduced the "Defund NPR Act," which would, as it states, remove any public funding for NPR.
Read the full text of the bill:
