House Freedom Caucus chair calls for end to taxpayer-funded media after NPR scandal ends with editor's exit

House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good, R-Va., is calling for an extremity to taxpayer-funded media, nan latest apical Republican to push backmost connected National Public Radio (NPR) aft a now-former worker accused it of operating pinch an overwhelming left-wing bias.

Good’s caller Defund NPR Act, introduced Friday, would artifact national backing from going straight toward NPR and besides artifact nationalist power stations that get national grants from utilizing those payer costs to bargain contented from aliases salary dues to NPR arsenic a personnel station.

"The authorities shouldn't beryllium successful nan business of backing media, and it surely shouldn't beryllium backing media that has a clear bias," Good told Fox News Digital successful his first question and reply connected nan legislation. "NPR has had a clear left-wing bias for decades, and it's conscionable increasing by nan day. And there's nary logic for taxpayers to person to money this."

NPR WHISTLEBLOWER URI BERLINER RESIGNS: ‘I CANNOT WORK IN A NEWSROOM WHERE I AM DISPARAGED’

House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good is nan latest apical Republican to telephone for defunding NPR. (Getty Images and Fox News Digital)

The Virginia Republican said that if nan lawsuit were reversed – a partially federally funded outlet being accused of a rightward slant – nan nationalist outrage would beryllium compounded.

"We person a free and unfastened press, aliases astatine slightest theoretically we're expected to successful this country, arsenic protected successful our First Amendment, and that's a critical, foundational correct successful this country," he said. "But nan authorities shouldn't beryllium putting their thumb connected nan standard and forcing taxpayers to money that. Could you ideate if we were trying to get what was recognized arsenic a beardown conservative-leaning media statement to beryllium funded by taxpayers? Can you ideate nan outrage successful doing so?"

Conservatives person agelong accused NPR of reporting pinch a left-wing bias while some of its backing is provided done national grants and different government-backed dollars.

Those concerns were precocious magnified erstwhile now-former NPR editor Uri Berliner asserted successful an op-ed that nan outlet mishandled captious stories that stemmed from Hunter Biden’s laptop difficult thrust and COVID-19 laboratory leak theories, among others, and that registered Democrats were vastly overrepresented successful nan newsroom by 87 to 0.

NPR CEO DODGES QUESTION ON IF SHE SHOULD PRIORITIZE ‘VIEWPOINT DIVERSITY’ IN THE NEWSROOM FOLLOWING EDITOR'S EXIT

Rep. Bob Good's projected measure comes aft erstwhile NPR editor Uri Berliner, above, accused nan newsroom of utmost bias. (JP Yim/WireImage/File)

NPR main news executive Edith Chapin responded successful a connection published by nan outlet, "We're proud to guidelines down nan exceptional activity that our desks and shows do to screen a wide scope of challenging stories. … We judge that inclusion – among our staff, pinch our sourcing, and successful our wide sum – is captious to telling nan nuanced stories of this state and our world."

Berliner was suspended without salary for 5 days soon after, but he resigned a time later.

"I respect nan integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism," Berliner said successful a information of his resignation missive to NPR CEO Katherine Maher, successful which he besides opposed calls to defund NPR. "But I cannot activity successful a newsroom wherever I americium disparaged by a caller CEO whose divisive views corroborate nan very problems astatine NPR I cited successful my Free Press essay."

Good told Fox News Digital that Maher "doesn't look concerned astir truth."

NPR BOSS ONCE CALLED FIRST AMENDMENT A ‘CHALLENGE’ AND ‘REVERENCE TO THE TRUTH’ A DISTRACTION

NPR CEO Katherine Maher has besides caught disapproval successful nan fallout. (Screenshot/Carnegie Endowment/File)

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"She's intelligibly a left-wing individual arsenic well, and she fits for that organization. And that's fine, but it shouldn't beryllium connected nan payer dollar," Good said.

While astir of NPR’s backing comes from firm sponsorships, according to its site, nan nonprofit besides benefits some straight and indirectly from national funds. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which sewage a fiscal 2026 beforehand of $535 cardinal successful nan latest authorities backing deal, oversees some NPR and nan Public Broadcasting Service.

Fox News Digital reached retired to NPR for remark connected Good's measure and comments.