(NewsNation) — NPR has formally suspended Uri Berliner, a senior business editor, after he published an insider account for The Free Press alleging the organization has become stacked with like-minded people who cater to what he sees as an ever-narrowing progressive worldview.
Berliner’s suspension without pay began last Friday, NPR itself reported. The organization presented Berliner with a written rebuke, saying he had failed to clear his work for outside outlets, adding that he would be fired if he violated the policy again.
On Tuesday, NPR’s media correspondent, David Folkenflik, told “The Hill on NewsNation” that the network cited Berliner’s appearance on other news outlets and his sharing of proprietary audience data as the grounds for the suspension, which is part of the organization’s code of conduct.
In an April 10 interview on NewsNation’s “CUOMO,” Berliner addressed the backlash from his NPR colleagues who publicly disagreed with his assertions.
Berliner said the renowned organization doesn’t allow “enough spaciousness to consider all kinds of perspectives.”
“I’m not surprised by the response that came from management and the same managers that I’ve been making a lot of these points about,” Berliner said. “I will say, I’ve had a lot of support from colleagues … many of them unexpected, who say they agree with me. Some of them say this confidentially.”
After the Berliner article, NPR’s new CEO, Katherine Maher, faced renewed criticism from conservative activists over old social media posts criticizing former President Donald Trump and supporting progressive causes.
Berliner’s article sparked huge debates within NPR and the media about bias, journalistic integrity and transparency.
However, Folkenflik noted that Berliner’s central critique — that NPR has become too ideologically narrow — has “engendered a lot of dismay and discouragement” among his colleagues, who feel he has unfairly represented their journalism.
Berliner told Folkenflik that he is “at peace” with the suspension and hopes it will spur “a conversation and a debate and introspection inside NPR” about the network’s editorial direction.