Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor ripped the GOP-led hearing on NPR's bias issues, suggesting they were playing into the hands of American enemies like Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Communist Party.
In a heated hearing about NPR's bias issues on Wednesday, top House Democrat Kathy Castor, D-Fla., questioned the patriotism of Republicans criticizing the taxpayer-funded outlet. Castor suggested that they were playing into the hands of American enemies like Vladimir Putin and the Chinese Communist Party.
In a withering opening statement before the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Castor said that foreign adversaries like Putin and the Communist Party of China "certainly enjoy it when American politicians undermine our own objective journalists."
"This committee should not do their dirty work for them. Instead, we need to invest in public broadcasting, NPR, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting," she said.
Tim Graham, editor of the conservative watchdog Media Research Center, was one of four witnesses to testify at the hearing. He responded to Castor's comments, saying that he should not be compared to Putin for having the audacity to criticize NPR.
"I am the regular audience… I may be the weird guy that actually listens to NPR, but when you listen to it, it’s very hard to describe it as objective," Graham said. "I’m offended by the idea that by objecting to it, somehow, I’m comparable to Putin."
Graham argued that in a democracy, citizens should be free to criticize the media. He accused NPR of "kicking us in the keister" and said that it was not serving the public.
"It’s harming me, it’s smearing me. And a lot of Republicans and conservatives feel that way," he added.
One key invited witness, NPR CEO Katherine Maher, did not attend the hearing. A spokesperson for NPR confirmed that Maher would not appear, citing an all-day meeting with the organization's board of directors.
The hearing was sparked by the actions of whistleblower Uri Berliner, who worked at NPR for 25 years before resigning last month. In a scathing piece for The Free Press, Berliner criticized NPR’s coverage of Russiagate, the COVID lab leak theory, Hunter Biden’s scandalous laptop, embrace of the theory of systemic racism, and accused the organization of downplaying antisemitism.
Berliner also wrote that staffers were out to hurt the presidency of Donald Trump. He even quoted one of NPR's "best and most fair-minded journalists" as saying it was good to not cover the Hunter Biden laptop story because it could benefit Trump in 2020.
Berliner's piece angered colleagues, with some telling in-house media reporter David Folkenflik they didn’t want to work with him any longer. Berliner was initially suspended for five days for breaking NPR's rules on doing outside work for another outlet. Shortly after, he quit, saying he could no longer work in a newsroom run by its left-leaning CEO.
Castor's questioning of the patriotism of Republicans criticizing NPR has sparked controversy. Some have accused her of McCarthyism, while others have defended her right to express her opinions.
The hearing on NPR's bias issues is expected to continue in the coming weeks.
