• by Ray Schultz , May 20, 2024

NPR, which was recently criticized for lack of viewpoint diversity by one of its own writers, is hiring 11 employees to help it maintain journalistic standards. 

The centerpiece of the operation is the Backstop, a  group of six editors who will comprise an additional layer of editing. 

An anonymous donor is funding the new hires. 

Some NPR staffers argue that the Backstop will slow down the reporting operation, The New York Times reports.

Edith Chapin, editor in chief of NPR, described the Backstop in a memo to the staff: 

It will be “a new group of senior-level editors who are not involved in the inception or development of a particular piece of work, working 24/7 to ensure that all coverage receives final editorial review."

In April, NPR business editor Uri Berliner criticized NPR as being too left-wing in an essay in The Free Press. He was suspended by NPR, reportedly for writing for an outside publication without permission, then resigned. 

Last year, NPR laid off 10% of its staff, around 100 people, according to NiemanLab.