NPR head a no-show at House hearing on left-wing bias at taxpayer-funded news outlet

The head of NPR will not attend Wednesday’s House hearing on liberal bias at the taxpayer-funded news outlet, citing a scheduling conflict.

Katherine Maher, the newly hired president and CEO of NPR, said in a statement that the hearing conflicts with a “previously scheduled and publicly posted all-day meeting” of the company’s board of directors.

Ms. Maher was invited by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to answer questions about “accusations of ideological bias” at NPR.

The GOP-led panel scheduled the hearing after NPR editor Uri Berliner detailed the outlet’s lurch to the left in a viral article posted on The Free Press.

Mr. Berliner reported that NPR “veered toward efforts to damage or topple [Donald] Trump’s presidency,” while race and identity “became paramount in nearly every aspect of the workplace,” as NPR began to completely shut out viewpoint diversity.

Mr. Berliner’s article triggered calls to yank NPR’s public funding or alter the funding formula to provide local public radio with more control over its coverage.

NPR is slated to receive more than $91 million in 2024 from the taxpayer-funded Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The hearing will take place without Ms. Maher, whose social media posts have been mined for statements showing support for President Biden and promoting liberal views.

The witness list includes Howard Husock, who served on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from 2013 until 2018. Mr. Husock has proposed reforms to how taxpayers fund NPR that would divert money to local news coverage.

Ms. Maher offered to testify “on a date in the near future.”

Mr. Berliner was suspended by NPR after publishing the criticism and resigned from the company. He is not on the witness list.