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Uri Berliner, the NPR editor who accused the broadcaster of liberal bias in an internet essay final week, prompting criticism from conservatives and recrimination from a lot of his co-workers, has resigned from the nonprofit.
Mr. Berliner stated in a social media publish on Wednesday that he was resigning due to criticism from the community’s chief government, Katherine Maher.
“I can not work in a newsroom the place I’m disparaged by a brand new C.E.O. whose divisive views verify the very issues at NPR I cite in my Free Press essay,” Mr. Berliner wrote.
In his temporary resignation letter, addressed to Ms. Maher, Mr. Berliner stated he liked NPR, calling it a “nice American establishment” and including that he respects “the integrity of my colleagues and need for NPR to thrive and do essential journalism.”
An NPR spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, stated the nonprofit doesn’t touch upon personnel issues.
In an interview, Mr. Berliner stated his determination to resign from NPR coalesced early this week after an e-mail trade with Ms. Maher. He stated within the interview that he might infer from certainly one of her emails {that a} memo she had despatched to staff final week about office integrity was referring to him regardless that he had not been talked about by identify. Within the e-mail, which was despatched to Mr. Berliner on Monday, Ms. Maher stated her memo “stands for itself in reflecting my perspective on our group.”
“All the things fully modified for me on Monday afternoon,” Mr. Berliner stated.
Mr. Berliner’s essay stirred up a hornet’s nest of criticism of NPR and made Mr. Berliner one thing of a pariah throughout the community. A number of staff informed The New York Instances that they now not wished to work with him, and his essay was denounced by Edith Chapin, the community’s prime editor.
Many journalists at NPR pushed again in opposition to the essay, together with the “Morning Version” host Steve Inskeep, who stated on the e-newsletter platform Substack that Mr. Berliner didn’t “interact anybody who had a special perspective.”
“This text wanted a greater editor,” Mr. Inskeep wrote. “I don’t know who, if anybody, edited Uri’s story, however they let him publish an article that discredited itself.”
Mr. Berliner’s essay discovered some defenders among the many ranks of former NPR staff. Jeffrey A. Dvorkin, a former ombudsman, stated on social media that Mr. Berliner was “not unsuitable.” Chuck Holmes, a former managing editor at NPR, referred to as Mr. Berliner’s essay “courageous” on Fb.
Critics of NPR, together with conservative activists, used Mr. Berliner’s essay in The Free Press to impugn the community’s journalism and its management. Certainly one of them, Christopher Rufo, started resurfacing social media posts from Ms. Maher that had been vital of President Donald J. Trump and embraced progressive causes. Mr. Rufo has a historical past of pressuring media organizations to cowl vital tales of well-known figures, together with the plagiarism allegations in opposition to Claudine Homosexual, the previous Harvard president.
NPR stated in a press release earlier this week that Ms. Maher’s social media posts predated her time period as chief government, including that she was not working in information on the time.
Earlier than he resigned from NPR, Mr. Berliner was on a five-day suspension from the community for violating firm coverage in opposition to working for outdoor organizations with out securing permission.
Mr. Berliner stated he didn’t have any speedy plans after leaving NPR, including that he was trying ahead to getting extra sleep and spending time along with his household.
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