Crossroads Podcast: NPR’s War Between Liberalism And Wokeness

It was the must-read article of the week, especially for anyone interested in how cultural, moral, political and, yes, religious issues are covered in one of America’s most influential newsrooms.

I am referring, of course, to the stunning essay by National Public Radio senior business editor Uri Berliner (“I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust”) that ran at The Free Press.

As I noted in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast, it’s logical that the Berliner broadside ran at The Free Press, since that online publication is led by Bari Weiss, who left The New York Times in a very similar struggle over the death of old-school liberalism in journalism.

“Liberal,” in this context, refers to journalism in which reporters and editors strive to offer balance, accuracy and fairness when covering voices (on all sides) in public life. Yes, “liberal” is the opposite of terms such as “woke” or, some would say, even “progressive.”

In the social media firestorm unleashed by Berliner’s essay, many focused on this passage: 

Concerned by the lack of viewpoint diversity, I looked at voter registration for our newsroom. In D.C., where NPR is headquartered and many of us live, I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans. None. 

I would argue that the key words in that zinger are “viewpoint diversity,” not “Republicans” and “Democrats.” I also believe that the surge in advocacy journalism doctrines at NPR is primarily cultural (scan this search for “NPR” and “polyamory”) and predates the arrival of former President Donald Trump as a major figure in American politics.

How did NPR respond? Basically with a public statement that Berliner is wrong and that NPR remains committed to accurate, fair-minded coverage of American life in (one must assume) both blue and red zip codes. Here is the crucial material in that online NPR news report:

Under former CEO John Lansing, NPR made increasing diversity, both of its staff and its audience, its "North Star" mission. Berliner says in the essay that NPR failed to consider broader diversity of viewpoint. …

Former NPR vice president for news and ombudsman Jeffrey Dvorkin tweeted, "I know Uri. He's not wrong."

In recent years, NPR has greatly enhanced the percentage of people of color in its workforce and its executive ranks. Four out of 10 staffers are people of color; nearly half of NPR's leadership team identifies as Black, Asian or Latino.

"The philosophy is: Do you want to serve all of America and make sure it sounds like all of America, or not?" Lansing, who stepped down last month, says in response to Berliner's piece. "I'd welcome the argument against that."

The question, of course, is whether there is more to “diversity” than NPR’s strong commitment to equity in race, gender and sexual orientation in the network’s hiring efforts. 

Berliner insisted that it’s also important to talk about “diversity” in terms of beliefs, culture, politics and life experiences. I would ask this, as well: How is NPR viewed by believers — the orthodox and the progressives (hello sociologist James Davison Hunter) — in various religious traditions?

Berliner also asked if NPR leaders are paying attention to how these issues have affected the health of the network. Let’s end with this quote from his essay:

With declining ratings, sorry levels of trust, and an audience that has become less diverse over time, the trajectory for NPR is not promising. Two paths seem clear. We can keep doing what we’re doing, hoping it will all work out. Or we could start over, with the basic building blocks of journalism. We could face up to where we’ve gone wrong. News organizations don’t go in for that kind of reckoning. But there’s a good reason for NPR to be the first: we’re the ones with the word public in our name. 

Enjoy this week’s podcast and, please, pass it on to others. “Crossroads” podcasts can also be found at the Apple podcasts website.