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During a heated hearing on Capitol Hill, NPR CEO Katherine Maher faced sharp criticism from Republicans over taxpayer funding and alleged bias in public broadcasting. Fox News contributor Joe Concha blasted Maher’s testimony, calling her a “human Chernobyl” for her shaky responses. The clash highlighted growing conservative calls to cut federal dollars for NPR and PBS.
Maher admitted NPR mishandled coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop during the 2020 election, calling it a “mistake.” She claimed the outlet is “nonpartisan,” but Republicans ripped her past social media posts. In old tweets, Maher called Trump a “racist” and “sociopath,” accused America of being “addicted to white supremacy,” and praised the controversial book The Case for Reparations. She claimed her views have “evolved,” but critics argued her biases still shape NPR’s reporting.
Concha mocked NPR for pushing stories like “genderqueer dinosaur enthusiasts” while ignoring scandals like the Biden laptop. He noted NPR scrapped its tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, opting instead to attack Thomas Jefferson as racist. This shift, he said, proves NPR prioritizes activism over fair journalism.
The hearing revealed NPR and PBS cater mainly to liberal audiences. Nearly 75% of their viewers identify as consistently liberal, with almost no conservatives tuning in. Republicans argue this proves taxpayer money funds partisan propaganda, not neutral news.
Democrats tried defending public broadcasting with bizarre comparisons to children’s shows like Sesame Street. One lawmaker asked if Elmo promotes communism, while another claimed Big Bird’s pro-vaccine tweets angered Republicans. Conservatives called these arguments distractions from real issues like biased reporting.
Elon Musk’s name came up repeatedly as Republicans contrasted NPR’s government subsidies with private media companies like Musk’s X platform. They argued public broadcasters rely on taxpayer handouts while independent outlets survive without federal aid.
Maher’s refusal to attend a previous hearing added fuel to the fire. Critics said she dodged accountability, while NPR blamed scheduling conflicts. Republicans see this pattern of avoidance as proof public broadcasters fear scrutiny.
With Trump vowing to slash funding, the future of NPR and PBS hangs in the balance. Conservatives say defunding would protect free speech and end subsidies for outlets they view as mouthpieces for progressive elites. The hearing made clear this battle over public broadcasting is just heating up.
