Comedian and commentator Bill Maher had a radical proposal for the future of NPR on his Real Time HBO show, calling the media outlet ‘crazy far left,’ on Friday night.
The call-out came during the show’s Overtime segment, where Bill invited panelists to debrief on top news stories.
He was joined by New York Post columnist Rikki Schlott and New York Times columnist and author John McWhorter to discuss NPR CEO Katherine Maher’s testimony at the House of Representatives’ Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee.
The subcommittee questioned Katherine and PBS CEO Paula Kerger on partisan bias as the publications receive federal funding.
Bill slammed NPR for being too far left and proposed that the publication join the private sector.
Bill scoffed at Katherine’s assertion that NPR focuses on ‘unbiased, nonpartisan, fact-based reporting.’
She also argued that she had ‘never seen any instance of political bias determining editorial decisions.’
‘Give me a break, lady,’ Bill responded. ‘I mean, they’re crazy far-left.’
Comedian Bill Maher called NPR out on his show for ‘crazy far-left’ politics and proposed that the publication stop receiving federal funding
NPR CEO Katherine Maher stood firm that her publication did not express a political bias during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee hearing
He was joined by New York Post columnist Rikki Schlott and New York Times columnist and author John McWhorter
Katherine had argued during the hearing that NPR relies on federal funding to provide ‘non-paywalled’ content to American families which she said ‘has never been more important.’
‘We’re so polarized. These outlets became popular at a time when Republicans and Democrats didn’t hate each other and weren’t at each other’s throats and didn’t think each other was an existential threat,’ Bill argued.
‘In that world, you can’t have places like this, I think, anymore. They have to be private.’
McWhorter agreed that the publication shouldn’t be federally funded and joked that even his nine-year-old daughter noticed that NPR consistently reports ‘the same thing.’
‘It’s always about how somebody can’t do something,’ McWhorter said his daughter told him.
The committee’s questioning of the NPR and PBS CEOs drew sharp criticism from those on the left, while it was celebrated by many of Trump’s supporters.
The Oversight Committee announced on Tuesday that they were looking forward to holding the executives ‘accountable,’ which resulted in a flurry of commentary.
Bill Maher slammed NPR CEO Katherine Maher (no relation) after she told Congress that the publication didn’t have a political bias
‘No more paying for the big propaganda machine!!!’ one user celebrated.
‘We should not be funding any news organization. That in itself is just asking for trouble. These people need to fund their own businesses- or go out of business just like everyone else,’ another agreed.
However, others slammed the decision to strip federal funding for the publications, with one comment reading, ‘PBS is a beloved American institution. I watch it all the time obviously you people have nothing better to do.’
‘NPR and PBS are both unbiased, reliable, publicly available news sources. This regime is allergic to the truth, so naturally the MAGA minions in Congress want to intimidate and harrass these top quality public news sources,’ another noted.
