NPR Names New News Chief

NPR has appointed Thomas "Tommy" Evans as its new news chief, effective September 15, 2025, amid uncertainty as federal funding for public media ends on September 30, 2025, due to actions by the Trump administration and Republican allies in Congress.

Evans, a former CNN international correspondent with over 20 years of conflict reporting, joined NPR last year to lead its editorial review desk, tasked with ensuring fair, accurate, and contextual reporting across platforms. He praises NPR’s journalists as among the best globally and emphasizes maintaining the network’s core journalistic mission while innovating content delivery. 

Evans highlights NPR’s strengths: deep expertise, robust international coverage, and compelling storytelling.

Thomas Evans

He succeeds Edith Chapin, NPR’s Senior Vice President and Editor in Chief, who will stay briefly to ensure a smooth transition. Chapin, stepping down after serving as acting chief content officer, cited a desire for a break, not financial concerns, as her reason. 

NPR plans to hire a permanent chief content officer, but the position remains unposted.Evans and Chapin worked together at CNN years ago, where she was a managing editor and he was a junior journalist covering the 9/11 attacks. 

Evans’ appointment follows financial and political challenges sparked by a critical essay from NPR’s former senior business editor, Uri Berliner, published in The Free Press, alleging bias in NPR’s coverage. 

This fueled Republican attacks on NPR and its CEO, Katherine Maher, who faced scrutiny over past social media posts. The GOP-majority Congress, accusing NPR and PBS of left-leaning bias, is now voting to retract promised federal funding, over 60 years after the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.