NPR Offering Newsroom Buyouts to Meet Budget Goals
NPR is reporting that it is “restructuring its newsroom, including cutting some reporting and editing jobs, as it attempts to keep pace with changing audience habits while adjusting to an era without federal subsidies.” NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher says the organization has to find 
$8 million dollars to hit its $300-million annual budget. This is due in large part to the loss of federal subsidies to member stations who pay to air NPR programming. NPR says it is offering buyouts to approximately 300 employees in newsroom positions (not including the staff or hosts on NPR’s news programs, who are not eligible), but that “the actual number of departing journalists will be far smaller.” NPR will accept up to 30 buyouts and adds that targeted layoffs would happen if not enough employees accept buyouts by May 26.
election, its reporting on the origins of the coronavirus in China, and the investigation into Trump’s ties to Russia during his first term. U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) told Maher, “You guys were 0-for-3 on three of the biggest stories in the country.” Maher was also pressed by U.S. Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) about comments she made before she was CEO of NPR in which she called Donald Trump a sociopath, a racist and deranged and asked how she could helm a news organization with that kind of inherent bias. She replied, “There is strong firewall between me and the newsroom,” and said her political thinking and personal worldview have changed in recent years, adding, “I regret those tweets; I would not tweet them again today.” The story notes that Maher said she “respected” the lawmakers’ concerns and promised NPR is doing more under her watch to “beef up our editorial standards” and “make sure we have more points of view reflected in every story.” 
Broadcasting’s budget in its sights. NPR.org reports Maher says of the hearing, “This could be a perfect storm. That’s why this moment does feel different. It feels as if this is a time that we really do need to step up and make as clear a case as possible.” U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene chairs the Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency and she’s quoted saying, “I want to hear why NPR and PBS think they should ever again receive a single cent from the American taxpayer. These partisan, so-called ‘media’ stations dropped the ball on Hunter Biden’s laptop, downplayed COVID-19 origins, and failed to properly report the Russian collusion hoax. Now, it is time for their CEOs to publicly explain this biased coverage.” 
(R-VA) will lead the investigation. They say, “NPR is entrusted with Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars. Serious allegations from a then-senior editor who spent decades at NPR reveal NPR engages in viewpoint discrimination and ideological bias that caters to a narrow, leftwing audience. From dismissing all debate over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to statistics about NPR’s editorial staff significantly skewing to the Democratic party, these allegations are deeply troubling and merit congressional investigation. This hearing will provide Members an opportunity to question NPR’s leadership directly about concerns we’re hearing from our constituents across the nation.” NPR president and CEO Katherine Maher is invited to testify.