Donald Trump is demanding that broadcaster lose funding after facing criticism

Former President Donald Trump has ripped into the National Public Radio (NPR) after an op-ed by a senior editor criticised the broadcaster of political bias.

In a post to Truth Social on Wednesday (April 10), Trump's anger was expressed in all-caps as he called for the American non-profit media organization to lose its funding.

"NO MORE FUNDING FOR NPR, A TOTAL SCAM! EDITOR SAID THEY HAVE NO REPUBLICANS, AND IS ONLY USED TO 'DAMAGE TRUMP,'" the former president posted. "THEY ARE A LIBERAL DISINFORMATION MACHINE. NOT ONE DOLLAR!!!"

NPR was established as an Act of Congress so this means that it does receive some federal funding, but most of the broadcaster's funding is sourced from membership fees and donations.

However, while the federal funding is only a small amount, the national syndicator to a network of over 1,000 public radio stations has previously stated the impact of losing this money.

"Elimination of federal funding would result in fewer programs, less journalism—especially local journalism—and eventually the loss of public radio stations, particularly in rural and economically distressed communities," NPR stated back in 2013.

The op-ed that Trump is referring to is by senior NPR editor and award-winning journalist Uri Berliner titled "I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust".

In the essay published in The Free Press on Tuesday (April 9), Berliner noted how he is somewhat a stereotypical NPR lister which he describes as an "EV-driving, Wordle-playing, tote bag–carrying coastal elite."

But then goes on to criticise the broadcaster by describing how an "open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR."

“Like many unfortunate things, the rise of advocacy took off with Donald Trump," Berliner wrote.

"As in many newsrooms, his election in 2016 was greeted at NPR with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and despair. (Just to note, I eagerly voted against Trump twice but felt we were obliged to cover him fairly.) But what began as tough, straightforward coverage of a belligerent, truth-impaired president veered toward efforts to damage or topple Trump’s presidency."

Trump appeared to reference this last paragraph in his Truth Social post, but although the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election has called on NPR to be defunded, Berliner disagrees.

"Despite our missteps at NPR, defunding isn’t the answer," the senior editor said.

"As the country becomes more fractured, there’s still a need for a public institution where stories are told and viewpoints exchanged in good faith. Defunding, as a rebuke from Congress, wouldn’t change the journalism at NPR. That needs to come from within."

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