NPR CEO who previously called First Amendment a 'challenge' to receive 'First Amendment Award'

NPR CEO Katherine Maher is slated to receive Harper’s Magazine’s “First Amendment Award” despite past criticisms she made about the amendment, particularly concerning its role in combating disinformation. Maher had previously stated that the First Amendment presents a “challenge” when trying to address the spread of misinformation. The magazine cited Maher’s leadership at NPR through “scrutiny and challenge” and her efforts to “battl[e]” former President Trump’s attempts to defund NPR as reasons for the award, though critics argue NPR has faced significant funding cuts and has not always upheld journalistic impartiality.

• NPR CEO Katherine Maher will receive Harper’s Magazine’s “First Amendment Award” on Oct. 26.
• In 2021, Maher described the First Amendment as a “challenge” in combating disinformation while CEO of Wikimedia.
• Harper’s Magazine cited Maher’s leadership at NPR through “scrutiny and challenge” and her efforts to “battl[e]” former President Trump’s defunding efforts.
• Critics argue that NPR has faced funding cuts and has a history of questionable journalism, including not covering the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020.
• Maher conceded in 2025 that NPR “made a mistake” by not covering the Hunter Biden laptop story more aggressively.
• Media watchdog Tim Graham criticized Harper’s Magazine, stating that Maher’s past comments on censorship contradict the spirit of a First Amendment award.