Amid an ongoing scandal involving NPR CEO Katherine Maher, the trustworthiness of mainstream media as a source of information is once again being questioned. The resignation of NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner has shocked many in the media industry. Various politicians, activists, and editors have criticized Maher after Berliner resigned for reportedly facing backlash for criticizing the outlet in an op-ed for The Free Press.
Some critics have come to the defense of the former NPR editor. Activist Christopher Rufo posted a video where Maher admitted that Wikipedia aimed to combat disinformation during the 2020 U.S. elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some, including Rufo, view this as censorship. The video, which was made during an online panel discussion at the 360/Open Summit held by the Atlantic Council in 2021, has gone viral on the social media platform X in light of Berliner’s resignation.
Maher stated in the same speech that she sees the First Amendment of the United States, which guarantees freedom of speech, as the “number one challenge” in fighting disinformation. She explained that these speech protections make it difficult to suppress “bad information” and the “influence peddlers” who profit from it.
Maher’s resurfaced statements have caught the attention of prominent commenters, including X owner and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Musk commented, “This keeps getting crazier! The head of NPR hates the Constitution of the USA,” while reposting Rufo’s video. Musk also expressed that he was not surprised by the allegations against Wikipedia.
These accusations of censorship by Wikipedia contradict recent remarks by Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, who emphasized that freedom of speech is Telegram’s top priority. Durov mentioned this in an interview with Tucker Carlson on April 17 and stated that he owns no “big assets” like land or real estate, preferring to own Bitcoin and cash as he values his freedom and focuses on doing his best for Telegram.