Uri Berliner
Uri Berliner | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Berliner in 2016 | |
| Born | 1956 (age 67–68) |
| Education | Sarah Lawrence College, Columbia University |
| Parent | Eva Kollisch |
Uri Berliner (born 1956) is an American journalist who was the senior business editor for NPR from 1999 until his resignation in April 2024.
Early life and education[edit]
Berliner was born in 1956 as the only child of the lesbian rights activist Eva Kollisch and the photographer and artist Gert Berliner, who married in 1948 and divorced in 1959.[1] Gert's parents were captured by the Gestapo, sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, and murdered there in 1943.[2]
Berliner graduated from Sarah Lawrence College. He holds a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1998.[3][4]
Career[edit]
Berliner began working for NPR in 1999. He oversaw business and economics coverage and supervised the program, "Planet Money," which covered the global economy. [5]
His reporting has been recognized with, among others, a Peabody Award,[6] a Loeb Award, an Edward R. Murrow Award, and a Society of Professional Journalists "New America" Award.[7][8]
On April 9, 2024, The Free Press published an essay by Berliner titled "I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust." in which he criticized NPR for having "coalesced around the progressive worldview" and "an open-minded spirit no longer exists within NPR". Berliner contended that NPR had lost America's trust by representing only a narrow segment of the U.S. population in its coverage.[9] The essay generated controversy, particularly within conservative media; former president Donald Trump argued on Truth Social that the federal government should rescind funding to NPR.[10]
On April 12, NPR's CEO Katherine Maher wrote an open memo to staff, alluding to Berliner's article without directly naming him, which asserted that some of its criticism was disrespectful and hurtful to staff.[11] The same day, Berliner was given a five-day suspension without pay.[12] According to Berliner, the suspension was for failing to secure approval for outside work.[10] Berliner resigned on April 17, saying he "cannot work in a newsroom where I am disparaged".[13][14]
References[edit]
- ^ "Eva Kollisch papers". Smith College. June 28, 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Berliner, Uri (November 14, 2018). "A Toy Monkey That Escaped Nazi Germany And Reunited A Family". NPR. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Nieman Fellows by Class Year Nieman.
- ^ Folkenflik, David (April 10, 2024). "NPR defends its journalism after senior editor says it has lost the public's trust". NPR. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Making Sense of the Global Economy. Sarah Lawrence Magazine. Fall 2018.
- ^ "Uri Berliner." Nieman Reports, vol. 71, no. 2, spring 2017, p. 56.
- ^ "Uri Berliner". NPR. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
- ^ Mullin, Benjamin; Robertson, Katie (April 11, 2024). "NPR in Turmoil After It Is Accused of Liberal Bias". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "I've Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here's How We Lost America's Trust". www.thefp.com. 2024-04-09. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ a b Folkenflik, David (April 16, 2024). "NPR suspends veteran editor as it grapples with his public criticism". NPR.org.
- ^ Maher, Katherine (2024-04-12). "Thoughts on our mission and our work". Npr.org. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
- ^ Shafer, Jack (April 17, 2024). "The Real Reason NPR Squashed Uri Berliner". Politico. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Mullin, Benjamin (April 17, 2024). "NPR Editor Who Accused Broadcaster of Liberal Bias Resigns". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ^ Saric, Ivana (2024-04-17). "Suspended NPR editor resigns after accusing network of liberal bias". Axios (website). Retrieved 2024-04-17.
