The allegations were made by Uri Berliner, a veteran NPR editor, in an essay for the Free Press. Berliner criticized NPR's media coverage of major news stories over the past few years and revealed voter registration records showing an 87-0 Democratic bias in the newsroom. He also claimed that NPR avoids terms like "biological sex" and lacks "viewpoint diversity."
Williams was not taken aback by Berliner's assertions that NPR lacks an "open-minded spirit," which he believes is detrimental to both its journalism and business model. Williams was fired from NPR over a decade ago after expressing his unease about seeing people in Muslim attire at airports following the 9/11 terrorist attacks during an appearance on "The O'Reilly Factor."
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Williams, who has written extensively about the civil rights movement in the United States, stated at the time, "I'm not a bigot... but when I get on the plane... if I see people who are in Muslim garb... I get worried. I get nervous." This statement led to his dismissal from NPR, where he had been a long-standing, left-leaning analyst. Williams told Laura Ingraham, the host of "The Ingraham Angle," that he was considered "too conservative a Black guy" for NPR.
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Williams pointed out that his controversy occurred long before former President Trump's political emergence in 2015, which has since caused ongoing media turmoil. He described NPR as an "insulated cadre of people who think they're right" and struggle with differing viewpoints.
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Despite his comment about feeling nervous in airports, Williams defended the right of Muslims to build property near Ground Zero. He also argued that Christians should not be blamed for acts of terrorism committed by individuals like Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber. However, these views did not prevent his dismissal from NPR.
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Williams believes that the media landscape has become increasingly polarized, especially after Trump's presidency, with NPR establishing a stronghold on the far-left. He agreed with Berliner's assertion that NPR's audience is leaning further left than ever, resulting in fewer conservative listeners.
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Vivian Schiller, then-NPR CEO, justified Williams' dismissal by stating that news analysts should not publicly take personal positions on controversial issues as it undermines their credibility.
In response to Berliner's allegations, an NPR spokesperson referred Fox News Digital to a memo by editor-in-chief Edith Chapin. Chapin stated that she and her team "strongly disagree" with Berliner's assessment of NPR's journalism and integrity. She praised the work of their desks and shows in covering a wide range of challenging stories and emphasized the importance of inclusion in their coverage.
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Chapin also highlighted the importance of rigorous debate, self-examination, and exploring diverse perspectives in journalism. She stated that while their work is not above scrutiny or critique, they strive to serve the public as a whole and respect people's ability to form their own judgments.
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