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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) called on National Public Radio (NPR) CEO Katherine Maher to resign ahead of looming federal spending cuts, according to a New York Times piece published Tuesday.
The New York Times reported that since becoming NPR CEO in 2024, Maher had received backlash not only from “right-wing activists” over alleged political bias but from fellow public broadcasting organizations as well.
According to two people “familiar” with the remarks, Patricia Harrison, the chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, reportedly spoke to Maher in the spring about whether “to acknowledge concerns from listeners who viewed NPR’s reporting as biased.”
President and CEO of National Public Radio Katherine Maher testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol on March 26, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“Ms. Maher rebuffed that suggestion,” the Times reported. “She didn’t believe that NPR was biased, and she thought saying so would undermine the organization and fail to placate those who were critical of the network, according to a person familiar with her thinking. After she refused, months of simmering tension between the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and NPR came to the surface. Ms. Harrison told Ms. Maher she should resign her position for the good of public media.”
The call reportedly came before President Donald Trump issued an executive order in May defunding NPR and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), both of which received funding from the CPB.
NPR CEO KATHERINE MAHER VENTS ‘DEEP FRUSTRATION’ OVER GOP CUTS, SAYS IT WILL CONTINUE TO OPERATE
Congress later stripped more than $1 billion in funding from the CPB in a recissions package pushed by Trump in July.
Congress stripped funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funded both NPR and PBS, in July. (llison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The New York Times report also revealed ongoing tension between NPR and CPB that led to NPR suing CPB for allegedly redirecting congressionally-appropriated funds away from the radio organization in September. As the case was being litigated, emails between the two organizations became public during discovery, revealing further contention.
“There is a dream scenario — we get the money and CPB goes away by the action of Congress,” one NPR executive allegedly wrote in an email in April.
NPR HEAD ASKS CRITICS TO ‘SHOW ME A STORY’ THAT PROVES LIBERAL BIAS AMID DEFUNDING THREATS
Fox News Digital reached out to NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for comment.
NPR CEO Katherine Maher was reportedly told to resign before President Donald Trump’s executive order to defund her organization. (Getty Images)
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In August, the CPB announced that it would begin shutting down operations as a result of losing federal funding.
Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to lindsay.kornick@fox.com and on Twitter: @lmkornick.
