The reliability of mainstream media as a source of information is once again being questioned amidst a scandal involving NPR CEO Katherine Maher. The recent resignation of NPR senior business editor Uri Berliner has sent shockwaves throughout the media industry. Many politicians, activists, and editors have criticized Maher, who was previously the CEO of Wikimedia, following Berliner’s resignation. It is reported that Berliner faced backlash for his critical remarks about the outlet in an op-ed for The Free Press.
Some of Maher’s critics have come to the defense of the former NPR editor. Activist Christopher Rufo posted a video in which Maher admitted that Wikipedia aimed to combat disinformation during the 2020 U.S. elections and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, some, including Rufo, argue that this amounts to censorship. The video, which was recorded during an online panel discussion at the 360/Open Summit organized by the Atlantic Council in 2021, has gone viral on the social media platform X in the wake of Berliner’s resignation.
In the video, Maher states, “We took a very active approach to disinformation and misinformation coming into not just the last election but also looking at how we supported our editing community in an unprecedented moment where we were not only dealing with the global pandemic.” She goes on to explain that the Wikimedia Foundation, the entity that owns Wikipedia, established a “sort of a clearinghouse of information” to enable editors to collaborate with the government in identifying threats.
Maher also reportedly expressed her view on the First Amendment of the United States, which guarantees freedom of speech. She sees it as the “number one challenge” in the fight against disinformation. Maher acknowledges that these speech protections make it “tricky” to suppress “bad information” and the individuals who have built a lucrative business around it.
Maher’s remarks, which have resurfaced, have caught the attention of influential commentators, including Elon Musk, the owner of X and CEO of Tesla. Reposting Rufo’s video, Musk commented, “This keeps getting crazier! The head of NPR hates the Constitution of the USA.” Musk also expressed that he was not surprised by the allegations against Wikipedia.
These accusations of content censorship on Wikipedia stand in contrast to recent statements made by Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram. Durov emphasized that freedom of speech is Telegram’s top priority in an interview with Tucker Carlson on April 17. He also claimed to own no significant assets like land or real estate, preferring to hold Bitcoin and cash as it allows him to cherish his freedom and concentrate on serving Telegram to the best of his abilities.