NPR head Katherine Maher finally admits outlet failed to cover Hunter Biden laptop ‘more aggressively or sooner’
NPR on Wednesday finally admitted that it made a mistake in failing to promptly cover the Hunter Biden laptop scandal — as the left-leaning broadcaster fights to keep its federal funding.
The mea culpa by NPR’s chief executive Katherine Maher came during intense questioning from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and other Republican legislators during a congressional subcommittee hearing regarding the broadcaster’s perceived bias in its coverage.
“I do want to say that NPR acknowledges we were mistaken in failing to cover the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively or sooner,” Maher told the committee.
GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency are keen on slashing federal funds to both NPR and PBS due to their left-leaning editorial bent.
Most of the funding for both organizations is distributed through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which was allocated $535 million for fiscal year 2024–25.
Maher’s admission corroborates claims made by former NPR editor Uri Berliner, who left the publicly funded outlet last year and criticized his former bosses for ignoring The Post’s exclusive reporting about Hunter Biden’s laptop before the 2020 election.
The hearing included testimony from both Maher and PBS CEO Paula Kerger — though Maher was the primary focus of Republican criticism.
Maher, who previously led Wikipedia and assumed the NPR leadership role just last year, was persistent questioned about her personal views and prior social media posts.
Among those was a tweet in which she labeled President Trump a “racist” and “sociopath” during the 2020 presidential campaign.
Confronted directly by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) about her past comments, Maher conceded, “I regret [them] today.”
She further admitted that NPR’s news team “has work to do” regarding the organization’s provision of balanced and trustworthy journalism.
GOP lawmakers zeroed in on NPR’s delayed response in covering revelations about the now-infamous laptop belonging to Hunter Biden and containing material that raised serious questions about his international business activities.
“Our current editorial leadership thinks that was a mistake, as do I,” Maher admitted, referencing NPR’s initial reluctance to investigate the issue.
The laptop in question, which was abandoned at John Paul Mac Isaac’s Delaware repair shop, contained emails exposing Hunter Biden’s dealings in Ukraine and China during the time his father served as vice president.
Initial skepticism from NPR was evident when the outlet prematurely reported in March 2021 that US intelligence had discredited the laptop story — only to later correct their claim upon realizing that intelligence officials had never made such a determination.
Only after the initiation of a federal investigation and further authentication of the laptop’s contents, which revealed Hunter Biden’s profitable connections with foreign companies, did NPR begin comprehensive coverage.
The controversy intensified further when Hunter Biden faced felony charges last year that eventually resulted in convictions. But he was spared jail time after President Joe Biden pardoned him and other family members just before leaving office.
Greene expressed pointed dissatisfaction during the hearing, sharply criticizing Maher’s previous comments and questioning her suitability to oversee an organization receiving taxpayer support.
“Let’s walk through some of your statements so the public can understand your personal views,” Greene said, highlighting Maher’s previous remarks that America was “addicted” to white supremacy and critical comments concerning binary gender terminology.
Greene argued vigorously that NPR must uphold neutrality given that it is partly funded by taxpayers. She also challenged Maher’s personal ideology as inconsistent with the broadcaster’s mission.
NPR receives less than 1% of its annual budget directly from federal government grants — though its member stations depend heavily on public funding.
While larger NPR stations typically receive 10–15% of their budgets from CPB, smaller and rural stations can rely on it for up to 30% or more, making indirect federal support crucial to NPR’s overall funding structure.
PBS itself obtains about 16% of its funding directly from federal sources, though most federal dollars go directly to local member stations, especially smaller and rural outlets reliant on these funds.
The rest of PBS’s budget comes from private donations, corporate sponsorships, and non-governmental funding sources.
