I always found the "87" number to be dubious myself in terms of the number of reporters they have. Mr. Berliner wrote:
In recent years I’ve struggled to answer that question. Concerned by the lack of viewpoint diversity, I looked at voter registration for our newsroom. In D.C., where NPR is headquartered and many of us live, I found 87 registered Democrats working in editorial positions and zero Republicans. None.
I thought maybe he was just talking about the on-air personalities or maybe the staff writers. It sounded low to me. I also think the idea that one could access the voter registration of a co-worker is a bit suspect. I thought maybe he just asked them???
I think Mr. Berliner has a valid larger point though I would put the "divide" not between Republican and Democrat but between high minded and ordinary. I'm an average person...I listen to NPR. I like some things I hear, I don't like other things I hear. I find their news to be first rate reporting. The other shows (I almost always listen via podcast) I find to be more and more exclusive. Sometimes I'm in that group but more and more I'm not.