Right now, the guardians of the "public" broadcasting empire are defending their tax subsidies by claiming it's somehow extremely unique, and not just another liberal set of networks. In reality, PBS and NPR are echo chambers for legacy liberal media outlets.
The Atlantic magazine, which adores Barack Obama and feverishly despises Donald Trump, took over the long-running PBS journalist-roundtable program Washington Week in 2023. Our study of their panelist list demonstrated something is definitely missing: journalists from any conservative media outlet, such as Fox News, The Washington Times, New York Post, Washington Examiner, Washington Free Beacon, or Daily Caller.
National "Public" Radio stations air podcasts from liberal media outlets. The Daily from The New York Times airs on 265 "public" radio stations, and the leftist site Vox has a podcast called Today Explained, which airs on 158 "public" radio stations. Co-host Noel King came over to Vox from co-hosting Morning Edition on NPR.
As you might guess, there are no conservative-media podcasts distributed on NPR affiliates, no Daily Wire shows, and certainly no NewsBusters Podcast.
You can also sense the liberal-media love on NPR's long-running talk show Fresh Air, which addresses both cultural and political topics. You won't find a Fox News host interviewed by Terry Gross or Tonya Mosley, but you will find Fox News being ripped by a journalist for The New York Times.
A review of Fresh Air programs since the start of 2025 revealed a undeniable tilt against Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Murdoch media empire. There were five interviews with New York Times journalists (not counting one with Catholic-bashing former New York Times writer Philip Shenon). The Atlantic was featured in three interview segments, and there was one each for Bloomberg News, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post. Conservative outlets were ignored.
Most of these interviews dominate the hour -- a 44-minute interview is the whole hour (minus newscasts and "underwriting" announcements). Listed below are the actual headlines and promotional copy for each program, which clearly illustrates the leftist tilt. Not every show listed below has a journalist guest. Some are included to underline the trend.
March 17: 35 minutes
'Red Scare' revisits the fear of Communism that gripped post-WWII America
[New York Times] Writer Clay Risen describes the anti-Communist frenzy that destroyed the careers of thousands of teachers, union activists and civil servants — and connects that era to our current political moment. [Emphasis ours].
March 12: 38 minutes
What Trump's cuts to the Department of Education mean for schools and students
The DoE is cutting staff, halting grants and pressuring schools on various administration priorities. Washington Post writer Laura Meckler discusses its destabilizing effect on the education system.
March 11: 44 minutes
'Murder the Truth' describes a campaign to silence journalists and curb free speech
New York Times editor David Enrich talks about a wave of recent legal attacks on journalists — led by tech billionaires, corporations and political figures like President Trump.
March 5: 42 minutes
How did 'DEI' become part of a larger political agenda — and a slur?
Georgetown professor Ella Washington and Harvard professor Frank Dobbin discuss the beneficiaries and misperceptions of DEI, and who will be hurt as it's dismantled across public and private sectors.
February 26: 37 minutes
As Elon Musk continues sweeping cuts to the US government: 'People are really scared'
DOGE has eliminated thousands of federal jobs and canceled more than 1,000 contracts. Harvard professor Elizabeth Linos warns, "We're seeing harms that are not going to be easily undone."
February 25: 42 minutes
Inside the Murdoch family's real-life 'Succession' drama
Rupert Murdoch and his oldest kids are battling over who controls his media empire when the 93-year-old dies. The Atlantic writer McKay Coppins explains the stakes and how it could change Fox News.
February 24: 38 minutes
'Jesus Wept' author chronicles the debates roiling the Catholic church
[Ex-New York Times reporter] Philip Shenon talks about the past seven popes, and how efforts to reform the Church with the Second Vatican Council led to power struggles and doctrinal debates that lasted for decades.
February 19: 44 minutes
Journalist describes Trump's movements as a 'regime change' towards authoritarianism
The Atlantic writer Anne Applebaum says President Trump's dismantling of the U.S. civil service system, and his attacks on judges and his opponents, are part of a playbook on undermining democracy.
February 18: 35 minutes
A pediatrician warns of 'long-lasting' consequences of RFK Jr. leading HHS
As Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has a history of anti-vaccine activism, takes the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services, infectious disease specialist and pediatrician Adam Ratner is weighing in with serious concerns.
February 17: 33 minutes
Understanding presidential power in the age of Trump
New York Times writer Charlie Savage discusses the scope of executive power as President Trump circumvents Congress, pushes legal boundaries and fires scores of federal workers, including at the FBI.
February 12: 44 minutes
How did Elon Musk become so powerful in the Trump administration?
New York Times journalist Eric Lipton outlines how Musk's companies are benefiting as he cuts federal jobs and agencies, and reporter Teddy Schleifer explains how Musk's political views turned right.
February 11: 44 minutes
'The truth hurts': Sebastian Stan reflects on playing Trump in 'The Apprentice'
Stan's up for an Oscar for his portrayal of the president early in his career, when Roy Cohn was his lawyer and mentor. Stan says Cohn schooled Trump in "denying reality and reshaping the truth."
February 5: 44 minutes
How a military recruitment crisis is leaving the U.S. vulnerable
President Trump blames a shortage of recruits on DEI programs, but The New Yorker writer Dexter Filkins says not enough people want to enlist, and many who do don't pass the weight limit or aptitude test.
January 29: 36 minutes
The trouble with 'donating our dopamine' to our phones, not our friends
Journalist Derek Thompson says this turn toward isolation can't entirely be blamed on COVID-19. "We are now in the midst of an anti-social century," he says. In his most recent article for The Atlantic, Thompson writes that the trend toward isolation has been driven by technology.
January 23: 34 minutes
Trump's entry into crypto opens new doors for those seeking political influence
Bloomberg investigative reporter Zeke Faux says the Trump family crypto business offers anyone seeking favor with the new administration a legal way to send money directly to the president.
January 14: 44 minutes
Trump's 2nd-term foreign policy includes power plays in Greenland, Panama and beyond
N.Y. Times journalist David Sanger says Trump's idea of America first is now less isolationism, more expansionism. He expects changes in the approach to Russia, China and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
PS: The interview with Jeremy Peters ripping Fox News promoted his book, titled Insurgency: How Republicans Lost Their Party and Got Everything They Ever Wanted.
This isn’t something that raises any alarm at NPR. On the contrary, it’s exactly the kind of author NPR seeks to promote. Terry Gross has celebrated Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank and his book The Destructionists: The Twenty-Five-Year Crack-Up of the Republican Party. There’s Robert Draper, who wrote Weapons of Mass Delusion: When the Republican Party Lost Its Mind. There’s Tim Miller, who authored Why We Did It: A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell.
This is what NPR expects Republican voters to subsidize.
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