A day after news of his suspension became public, NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner resigned from the network over the organization’s rebuke of his complaints of its culture and its CEO’s past criticisms of former President Donald Trump.
“I respect the integrity of my colleagues and wish for NPR to thrive and do important journalism,” Berliner wrote in his resignation letter to CEO Katherine Maher, which he shared on X. “But I cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged by a new CEO whose divisive views confirm the very problems at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay.”
Berliner was suspended last week for not seeking approval for writing his April 8 column in the Free Press. The five-day suspension was without pay, according to NPR.
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In his Free Press piece, Berliner accused NPR of lacking “viewpoint diversity,” alleging that its adoption of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies have damaged its journalists’ independence. The screed roiled NPR’s newsroom, prompting a rebuke from editor-in-chief Edith Chapin and right wing-led outrage against the outlet and Maher.
Prior to her time at NPR, Maher had tweeted out her support for various progressive causes—and her opposition to Trump. “Donald Trump is a racist,” she wrote in one since-deleted post. NPR defended Maher in a statement on Monday to The New York Times, noting she made her posts while she was the CEO of the Wikimedia Foundation and therefore not in journalism, and that she is not involved in NPR’s editorial operations.
Still, the posts rankled NPR’s critics, who alleged they represented the various issues that Berliner claimed were present at the organization.
