At Wednesday's House DOGE Committee hearing, Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) grilled NPR CEO Katherine Maher over her outlet's coverage of the Hunter Biden laptop scandal.
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NewsTranscript
00:00gentlemen from Georgia, Mr Jack for five minutes. Well, thank you very much, Madam Chair. Um, I'd
00:06like to just start and build off of something Mr Fallon noted. And Mr Miss Mayor, you I think
00:12you noted, and just to confirm within your statement to him that NPR failed to accurate
00:18accurately report the circumstances around the content within Hunter Biden's laptop story. Is
00:22that fair to categorize your statement? Our current editorial leadership's believes that
00:27we made a mistake not reporting the story and more reporting it earlier. Yes. And I recognize
00:32you weren't there at the time. But what institutes and control? What? What have you done to ensure
00:37that never happens again? A number of things, sir. And thank you for the opportunity to speak
00:41to them. We have hired additional editor court core, which we refer to as our editorial review
00:47to make sure that all stories before they go out are comprehensive and well reviewed. We've
00:52instituted a monthly review to ensure that the most challenging stories of every month we go back
00:57and we look at what we may have missed in order to not miss issues again and change policies,
01:01processes and policies to be able to have more robust conversation into ensure all areas and
01:07all views are considered. We have hired analysts to be able to count the number of stories that
01:12we're running on any particular issue, including whose voices are represented. We've moved from
01:17bringing pundits on air to trying to bring direct policymakers on air so that we can ask questions
01:21of policymakers rather than hearing through other people's perspectives. Those are just a few of the
01:25things we've done so far. I've got a couple others if you have time. Thank you. And you can
01:29submit those for the record. Would you suggest then that the failure to accurately accurately
01:35report those circumstances and the content around that story? Would you suggest today, as I feel,
01:42and many others feel that that impacted the 2020 election? I could not say, sir. I don't know.
01:47Well, I just I ask because you have a broad viewership, broad listenership, and I'm just
01:53curious if it is so broad and it is so necessary for us to continue to give taxpayer funds as you
02:00all submit to me to misaccurately report something that's incredibly important around a 2020 election
02:08is very concerning. So welcome. Another thought from you there. I believe that we made a mistake,
02:14as I said, and I believe that we have taken that to heart and are focused on how do we report and
02:19report effectively and timeless in a timely fashion on all the issues that matter to all
02:25Americans. I hear your concern, sir, and I know I want you to know that we are truly working on this.
02:30I I'd like to spend the rest of my time talking about funding, and I know that some of my
02:34colleagues talked about it a little bit today. But could you walk us through the amount of money
02:39that NPR received from CPB annually? Yes, sure, sir. We received eleven point two million dollars
02:45this past year, the majority of which goes to the public radio satellite system, which we operate
02:50on behalf of the entire public radio network. We also received a smaller amount of funding in the
02:57course of the past year that went to help us hire those additional editors and analysts in order to
03:02be able to beef up that editorial review. We received funding to support the coverage of the
03:07recent election in order to make sure that we had our journalists all across the country and were
03:12able to speak to Americans of all different political backgrounds. And what percentage
03:16of your budget share comes from the federal government? Depending on how you count it, sir,
03:22it is it's less than five percent. And to help me understand to the CPB, you know, as I understand
03:30it, we've Congress has appropriated five hundred million dollars to CPB. It flows out and I think
03:34smaller radio stations go and apply for grants for it. Do you receive payment and from smaller
03:40radio stations through licensing agreements and things of that nature? We do. And the fees for
03:44that are are designed around the amount of funding that they get from private member donations. So
03:53it's not the fees are not designed around federal funding. They're designed around what sort of
03:57direct private support and donations they receive from members and listeners. Well, I noted Mr.
04:02Jordan today suggested that you are fundraising off this hearing today. And a question that I
04:07have then if if you receive less than five percent and over and over today, you've said that private
04:12funding helps support the mission and and the work of NPR. Could NPR survive without the five percent
04:18that we give NPR annually? My belief is that the funding is essential to the public radio system,
04:24and that is the two hundred and forty six member stations, but the thirteen hundred stations across
04:29the nation so that we're able as a network to serve all Americans with one hundred percent
04:34coverage. If federal funding for our network goes away, it means that people in rural parts of
04:40America, places where they can't afford to make private donations to support their local journalism,
04:45those will be harmed. But sir, if I may, the bigger harm as well or the additional harm is that
04:50Americans in places that are affluent or do have many media choices will not be able to hear from
04:55their fellow Americans that are often underheard. Bottom line, if the five percent went away,
05:01would NPR still exist? Well, it would be incredibly damaging to the federal,
05:05to the excuse me, to the national public radio system. I yield back.