Katherine Maher to receive Harper’s Magazine First Amendment Award

Harper’s Magazine has announced that NPR CEO Katherine Maher will receive the “James C. Goodale First Amendment Award” on October 26. The magazine cited Maher’s leadership in defending public media against a May 2025 executive order by President Donald Trump that sought to terminate federal funding for NPR and PBS.

The award follows a March ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss, which favored NPR in its legal challenge against the White House. NPR’s legal counsel argued that the First Amendment prevents the government from using its spending power to suppress disfavored expression.

Some critics have noted a perceived irony in the award, pointing to Maher’s 2021 comments during an Atlantic Council panel. At that time, the former Wikimedia Foundation CEO described the First Amendment as the “number one challenge” regarding the management of misinformation on platforms like Wikipedia.