Uri Berliner, Former NPR Editor, Resigns to Join The Free Press

Uri Berliner, a former NPR editor who resigned after exposing the organization's alleged liberal bias, has joined The Free Press, founded by Bari Weiss, who also criticized liberal bias at her former employer, New York Times.

Former NPR editor Uri Berliner, who resigned in April after being suspended for not getting approval for outside work, has found a new gig at The Free Press, an organization founded by ex-New York Times opinion editor Bari Weiss.

Berliner, who left NPR after exposing alleged liberal bias, said in a statement that he is "inspired to join this team."

Uri Berliner, Former NPR Editor, Resigns to Join The Free Press

"I'm joining The Free Press because it provides America with groundbreaking, fearless, and independent-minded journalism. I'm inspired to join this team," Berliner said.

The Free Press was founded by Weiss, who also called out liberal bias at her former employer before going independent. Weiss' 2020 resignation letter painted the Times as a toxic workplace where she was bullied by colleagues in an "illiberal environment."

Uri Berliner, Former NPR Editor, Resigns to Join The Free Press

Berliner was initially suspended in April for five days without pay before deciding to resign.

Berliner's claims about NPR rocked the media industry, as he wrote that his then-employer drifted from only being "a bit to the left" in 2011 to its current form, where he said an "open-minded spirit no longer exists."

Uri Berliner, Former NPR Editor, Resigns to Join The Free Press

He wrote that NPR's "absence of viewpoint diversity" plagued the company and the claims sparked calls from the right to defund NPR.

Berliner will be a senior editor of The Free Press.

"We're lucky to have him," Weiss wrote.

NPR editor-in-chief Edith Chapin previously said she and her team "strongly disagree" with Berliner's assessment of the quality of NPR's journalism and integrity.

"We're proud to stand behind the exceptional work that our desks and shows do to cover a wide range of challenging stories. We believe that inclusion — among our staff, with our sourcing, and in our overall coverage — is critical to telling the nuanced stories of this country and our world," she wrote as part of a lengthy memo in April.

Amid the furor over Berliner's revelations, resurfaced social media posts from new NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher revealed a strong progressive tilt.

Berliner's resignation and subsequent comments have reignited the debate over bias in the media, with critics arguing that NPR and other news organizations have abandoned objectivity in favor of a left-leaning perspective.

However, supporters of NPR have defended the organization's journalism, arguing that it is fair and balanced, and that Berliner's criticisms are motivated by a conservative agenda.

The Free Press, which is funded by donations and subscriptions, has quickly gained a following among those who believe that mainstream media outlets are biased against conservative viewpoints.

Whether or not Berliner's allegations of bias at NPR are accurate, his resignation and subsequent comments have sparked a much-needed conversation about the importance of diversity of thought in the media.