During a committee hearing on Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) criticized National Public Radio (NPR), urging media organizations to reconsider their federal funding amid accusations of leftist bias that followed President Donald Trump’s recent executive order.
Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) commented after the President’s remarks on May 2nd concerning the presidential order to “terminate federal funds for NPR and PBS,” suggesting that Cruz shared “the rest of the story.”
“According to the Communications Act, public media entities like NPR must adhere to objectivity and balance, particularly regarding controversial topics,” Cruz stated. “Sadly, NPR does not meet this standard. In the last Congress, we highlighted how NPR accepted substantial donations from left-leaning megadonors for targeted coverage.”
“Following these contributions, NPR altered content that accurately reflected those donors’ interests,” Cruz continued. “Likewise, independent television outlets funded by Congress produced documentaries that showcased slices of bias, such as the one titled ‘Racist Tree’ broadcasted on PBS.”
Uri Berliner, a former NPR editor who stepped down in April 2024 after a suspension, criticized the network’s bias. Cruz pointed out that NPR CEO Katherine Maher continues to reject claims that the organization faces serious issues regarding topic selection.
The senator also mentioned examples from Maher’s social media, referencing a particular thread on X where she seemingly exhibited left-wing bias.
“NPR maintains a dedicated news desk focused on climate and race, both funded by liberal benefactors,” Cruz said. “This is the same individual who tweeted back in January 2020, months before George Floyd’s death, affirming various societal issues.”
“I think it’s time we hold NPR accountable,” he added.
Cruz expressed similar sentiments during his podcast episode, Verdict with Ted Cruz, labeling both NPR and PBS as “partisan propaganda outlets.”
He provided examples of NPR’s left-leaning coverage, including a past apology from the outlet for describing undocumented immigrants as “illegal.” NPR claimed it was a mistake and not in line with their policy. However, Cruz pointed out that federal law refers to undocumented individuals as illegal aliens.
In another incident, Cruz highlighted a peculiar “Editor’s Note” from July 2021 published by NPR, which stated that certain historical documents contained “offensive language about Native Americans, including racial slurs.”
