NPR Leans Left, No Doubt About It...

“NPR needs real leadership now. The board will need to decide whether Katherine Maher is the right person for the job.” - Uri Berliner, formerly with NPR

May 09, 2024

An independent review of NPR's opinion content in Feb. 2022 found NPR's opinion content leaned left by mostly via story choice bias, focusing on stories of interest to those on the left. - AllSides.com

In an April 9th essay published in The Free Press, Uri Berliner, a well-known (former) 25-year veteran of NPR, discusses his suspension and subsequent resignation from the organization. Berliner's piece outlines a leftist transformation at NPR, highlighting a shift from a balanced media outlet to one predominantly influenced by partisan journalism. Uri notes that NPR's editorial focus has increasingly leaned towards leftist viewpoints, estranging both moderate and conservative listeners.

The leaning begins with those who tune in. Audience analysis surveys consistently show that NPR's listener base skews left. This isn't just a number—it's a significant factor that shapes the station's output.

In 2011, the audience comprised 26 percent conservatives, 23 percent centrists, and 37 percent leftists. By 2023, these figures had moved to include a mix of 11 percent conservative and 67 percent leftists. The trend is inline with the surge in mainstream media support of left-leaning politics since Trump came to power. A certain audience demographic may want more leftist content, and the mainstream media has been waiting to deliver it. The only problem here is that NPR is about the only state sponsored media we have, barring elements of PBS.

As The Hill reported in 2022: “According to Pew Research, the audiences of NPR and PBS are among the most liberal in America. Seventy-two percent of NPR’s audience describe themselves as “consistently liberal,” while 71 percent of PBS’s audience describe themselves that way.”

Regardless, there has been an increasingly obvious trend within NPR; spotlighting issues that align with leftists interests such as social justice and progressive reforms. NPR is rabid about it, and the emphasis on these subjects only enhance the perceptions of a left-leaning bias, particularly among conservatives.

While NPR states they “strive for balance” and have a rigorous editorial process, the clear matrix of the audience composition, editorial choices, journalistic background, funding sources, and public critique contributes to an obvious perception of leftist support.

Let's talk about the income levels of NPR’s audience. Data from Poe.com reported: “NPR listeners typically fall into higher household income categories, with a median household income of approximately $115,000 per year. Over 84% of listeners have a household income over $50,000 per year, and almost 70% have a household income over $75,000.”

In other words, probably some wealthy people but more so middle-income types and what is referred to as the “mass affluent.” Middle class and upper-middle class Americans. While not an exclusive phenomenon, it is worth noting that many of these types of Americans make up a large portion of “middle-management” and the professional classes.

An example: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, med-techs, academics, business administrative support, etc.

Without making a sweeping generalization it is safe to say that many of these types of workers are left-leaning, especially if they happen to work for large companies and or the government. Maybe some work for large companies whose largest revenue source is the government (for instance healthcare systems). The vast majority of government employees are left-leaning, and if the government is your largest revenue source you are also probably left-leaning, maybe for political or maybe for financial reasons. And clearly, if you are left-leaning you love Big Gov!

Such workforce political dynamics are especially true if you contrast these politics with those of the majority of American tradesmen, small-business owners, suburban families, rural Americans, millionaires, billionaires and independent tycoons (in this case I am referring to very wealthy businesspeople not tied to massive super-corporations).

Another point worth discussing, women can be more left-leaning than men. As Gallup reported: “Fewer men in each age group today identify as liberal than do their female counterparts, but at 15 points, the gap is widest among those aged 18 to 29 (40% of women vs. 25% of men). This contrasts with a six-point difference between women and men aged 30 to 49 (28% vs. 22%, respectively), a nine-point difference between those aged 50 to 64 (25% vs. 16%), and a seven-point difference for those aged 65 and older (25% vs. 18%).”

According to a 2023 NPR audience profile, women make up 55+ percent of all listeners, while men represent 44+ percent. While a slim majority, it is still a majority.

It is true, many journalists and editors hail from backgrounds that tend to be left-leaning. While professional journalists profess their neutrality, their personal and educational influences often influence their work, which in turn, shape the narratives and perspectives they report on. This isn't necessarily an overtly conscious bias but it is certainly an echo of predominant views within their circles.

Disagree? Just look at the American mainstream media. As Elon Musk famously tweeted about the NY Times: "The New York Times has become, for all intents and purposes, an unregistered lobbying firm for far left politicians."

With NPR’s new CEO, the situation is likely to become much worse. As Christopher Rufo pointed out in City Journal, NPR’s new CEO has quite the left-leaning history: “Maher was involved in the wave of Color Revolutions that took place in North Africa in the 2010s, and she supported the post-George Floyd upheavals in the United States in the 2020s. She was also the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation, which runs the online encyclopedia Wikipedia.”

Now, NPR’s CEO is skipping congressional hearings on Capitol Hill…

The NPR CEO has not made a single public appearance since April 9, when The Free Press published a bombshell exposé by Uri Berliner, a 25-year veteran at the network, alleging ideological bias at the institution. Even today, when Maher was summoned by Congress to give testimony about whether NPR’s news reporting was “fair and objective,” she was a no-show. Her excuse? The night before the hearing, she announced she could not attend because of. . . a previously scheduled board meeting. Instead, Maher submitted written testimony drafted in the prose style of brand management consultants. According to Maher, NPR is “bringing trusted, reliable, independent news and information of the highest editorial standards” to tens of millions of listeners. - The Free Press

Perhaps NPR should refocus on being more like C-Span. C-Span is largely neutral. NPR is decidedly leftist. Until then, moderates and conservatives will have lots to say about NPR political narratives.

“There’s an unspoken consensus about the stories we should pursue and how they should be framed. It’s frictionless — one story after another about instances of supposed racism, transphobia, signs of the climate apocalypse, Israel doing something bad and the dire threat of Republican policies. It’s almost like an assembly line.” - Uri Berliner