With the final elimination of public funding for National Public Radio as part of a $9 billion savings package, the era of the American state media will technically come to an end. However, what makes for state media is not state support alone.

So, the state media is dead — long live the state media.

That variation of the traditional mourning cry of the British monarchy will be heard more in whispers than proclamations this week in Washington.

The government subsidy for NPR has long been a subject of controversy. Many opposed NPR for its open bias in reporting news, a record that thrilled the left and outraged many on the right. Just before the final vote, NPR CEO Katherine Maher gave another interview that left many agape. She denied any such bias and asked whether anyone could point to a single story that showed a political or ideological slant.

Ignoring a myriad of such examples, Maher then went from defiant to delusional, insisting that NPR was trying hard to "understand those criticisms."

It was a bit late for Maher to feign surprise or confusion, particularly as a CEO whose selection to take over the struggling NPR many of us opposed. Her glaring and overt bias did not seem like the antidote to NPR's shrinking audience and revenue. The board would have done better to select a neutral journalist. Instead, it doubled down on the bias.

In 2024, NPR had a window to actually "understand" the criticism and make adjustments. Instead, it treated the government subsidy as an entitlement, backed by Democratic members in Congress. The board would have done better to select a neutral journalist. Instead, it doubled down, hiring a candidate with a long record of far-left public statements against Republicans, Trump, and others.

This is the same CEO who attacked respected senior editor Uri Berliner when he tried to get NPR to address its bias and restore greater balance on the staff.

© The Hill