NPR at 50 Years: Still a Liberal Sandbox NPR dismissed the pre-election story about Hunter Biden's alleged laptop as an example of "pure distractions" and then had to issue a correction to a January puff piece that had insisted the laptop story was "discredited by U.S. intelligence and independent investigations by news organizations. Pictured: The headquarters for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 17, 2013. (Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images) Commentary By Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. National Public Radio is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week in a classic way: asking its fans for money. A fundraising email gushes, “From covering the Vietnam War in 1971 to the COVID-19 vaccination effort today, and everything in between, NPR has delivered fact-based news and trustworthy analysis to millions.”