GOP senator eyes legislation to defund 'propagandist' NPR after suspension of whistleblower

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., is readying to propose caller legislative action that would frighten to trim National Public Radio's (NPR) national backing if passed, prompted by nan news that it suspended an editor who went viral for exposing nan outlet's partisan uniformity successful its newsroom.

The Tennessee Republican is weighing a assortment of legislative options to return connected national backing that goes to nan Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides backing to NPR successful nan shape of grants. She is specifically looking to forestall NPR from benefiting from nationalist funds, owed to what her agency characterized arsenic left-wing bias. 

"The mainstream media has go obsessed pinch doing nan Left’s bidding and taking down beardown conservatives — and NPR has led nan pack," Blackburn said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "It makes nary consciousness that nan American group are forced to money a propagandist left-wing outlet that refuses to correspond nan voices of half nan country. NPR should not person our taxation dollars’."

NPR SUSPENDS VETERAN EDITOR WHO BLEW WHISTLE ON LIBERAL BIAS AT ORGANIZATION

Sen. Marsha Blackburn is looking to trim backing to National Public Radio aft an editor, who has since been suspended, revealed that its newsroom was made up almost wholly of Democrats. (Getty Images)

Blackburn antecedently looked to sever nan government's backing to NPR successful 2011 erstwhile she was serving successful nan House of Representatives. At nan time, nan Republican-controlled House passed a measurement that sought to trim $50 cardinal from CPB.

"The clip has travel for america to claw backmost this money," Blackburn reportedly said astatine nan time.

CPB is "fully funded by nan national government," per nan nonprofit's website. The statement provides backing successful nan shape of grants to some NPR and nan Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The grants to NPR are utilized for its world bureaus and distribution infrastructure that provides contented to each nationalist power stations. 

NPR seasoned editor Uri Berliner was precocious suspended without salary from NPR pursuing his nationalist disapproval of his employer. The suspension was made nationalist connected Tuesday but began past Friday, according to NPR media reporter David Folkenflik. The statement reportedly told Berliner connected Thursday that his reward was a last warning, and that if he violated NPR's argumentation connected labor seeking support to do activity for different news outlet, he would beryllium fired.

HOUSE DELIVERS MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES TO SCHUMER, SETTING UP TRIAL PROCEEDINGS

Berliner said he published nan effort aft respective attempts to sound concerns to activity privately. (JP Yim/Wire Image)

"I emotion NPR and consciousness it's a nationalist trust," Berliner said successful an question and reply pinch Folkenflik. "We person awesome journalists here. If they shed their opinions and did nan awesome publicity they're tin of, this would beryllium a overmuch much absorbing and fulfilling statement for our listeners."

The elder NPR business editor said he made respective attempts to relay his concerns earlier choosing to people an effort successful nan Free Press, but they weren't heard by nan organization's leadership.

SENATE DEMS REVEAL MASSIVE $79M AD SPEND TO PROTECT MAJORITY AHEAD OF KEY MATCHUPS

NPR pushed backmost connected concerns complete ideological imbalance successful its newsroom. (Getty Images)

In Berliner's scathing reappraisal of his employer's ideological homogeneity, he revealed that location were "87 registered Democrats moving successful editorial positions" astatine nan Washington, D.C., office "and zero Republicans. None."

He said that specified a lack of viewpoint diversity seeped into nan outlet's coverage, criticizing NPR's attack to a assortment of salient stories complete nan years, including allegations that erstwhile President Trump colluded pinch Russia successful nan 2016 election, nan laptop belonging to President Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and nan mentation that COVID-19 was triggered by a laboratory leak successful China.

A spokesperson for Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, said that he is besides trying to beforehand authorities successful nan House to defund NPR that he has introduced connected aggregate occasions, including nan existent Congress.

Jackson is actively seeking much co-sponsors for his measure and is pushing House activity to see it successful nan aftermath of caller events.

Jackson has been pursuing NPR defunding since 2022. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., likewise told Fox News Digital successful a statement, "I deliberation Congress should workout oversight of NPR, particularly successful ray of nan caller whistleblower’s allegations and consequent suspension."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Taxpayers money NPR, and it should beryllium a root that provides a genuinely neutral and balanced perspective," he said. "That tin only beryllium achieved done a politically divers staff, otherwise, it is thing much than a propaganda instrumentality for nan Democrat party."

"Sen. Cassidy was clear that Congress should extremity nationalist backing for NPR," a spokesperson for Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said successful a statement. "Our agency is exploring options to do so." 

NPR did not supply remark successful clip for publication.