NPR CEO Admits Failure in Biden Laptop Coverage

NPR CEO Katherine Maher admitted during a congressional hearing that NPR failed to adequately cover the Hunter Biden laptop story during the 2020 presidential election. Maher, who faced intense questioning from Republican lawmakers, acknowledged that the outlet should have reported more aggressively on the scandal, which involved allegations of overseas business dealings by Hunter Biden and potential involvement by his father, Joe Biden. The hearing was part of broader scrutiny over perceived bias in NPR's reporting and its use of federal funding, with some lawmakers proposing to end public funding for NPR and PBS. Maher also faced criticism for her past social media comments labeling Donald Trump as a 'sociopath' and a 'racist.' Despite the controversy, only about 1% of NPR's budget is federally funded, although PBS receives about 16% of its funding from federal sources. NPR's initial dismissal of the laptop story was influenced by concerns over its credibility and potential ties to Russian disinformation.