Trump’s hated “Voice of America” ​​will be overseen by fierce conservatives: Journalism veterans are already retiring

Amanda Bennett and Sandra Sugawara, veterans of journalism who directed it, left the Voice of America (VOA) this week. The reason is the decision by the Republican-controlled Senate to approve a ferocious conservative as head of the agency that oversees the activities of the VOA.

The Republican, of course, is President Donald Trump, who has been flooding the VOA in recent months. And the right-wing Senate obeyed its desire to approve Michael Pack as head of the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

This conservative director and activist does not hide the fact that he is a close ally of the so-called right-wing alternative flag bearer, Stephen Bannon, who led the Trump election campaign in 2016 and then served as a presidential adviser.

Will independence be maintained?

And from now on, headed by USAGM. Although Senate Democrats opposed Pack’s candidacy, it is this ideologist who now oversees not only the VOA, but also other media outlets under the agency’s roof.

Many journalists previously worried about Pack’s appointment and asked if he could protect the White House’s editorial independence. Apparently, Bennett and S. Sugawara’s withdrawal only increased or even confirmed the suspicions.

“For the past few months, the VOA has been a favorite target of the President and his allies.

The “American voice” is funded by the United States government, but must remain completely independent of Washington’s whims.

Probably because the VOA meets the legal requirement of being an independent news source and not an administrative propaganda tool, “said Eliot Engel, a Democrat in the House of Representatives and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

VOA is the largest US international media organization that broadcasts radio and television programs. The “American voice” is funded by the United States government, but must remain completely independent of Washington’s whims.

The VOA was founded as early as 1942 to combat Nazi propaganda and publish simply objective facts. The mission continued during the Cold War, when the Americans were intimidated by Soviet propaganda.

The VOA is still in force, although the governments of the authoritarian countries (Russia, China and others) accuse the media of being a propaganda tool for Washington. And now such arguments can suddenly gain weight.

“Obviously, Trump takes the opportunity to influence the media, and the mechanism for appointing a manager allows it.

The resignation of the VOA leadership only confirms that the current president’s administration is content-oriented. Of course, this is an additional argument for Russia and China. ” 15 minutes said the head of the Lithuanian Journalism Center, media expert Džina Donauskaitė.

BTW, CNN is rumored that one of the top positions in the VOA may now be filled by a former White House official, who now leads a conservative radio show and the highly controversial Sebastian Gorka.

In academic circles, Gorka is considered a bogus terrorism expert and an Islamophobic, and is also associated with alternative law.

Worrying signs

Ms. Bennet, who has been in charge of the VOA since 2016, and Ms. Sugawara, her delegate, wrote to staff informing them that they were resigning. In the letter, they did not indicate whether Mr. Pack had asked them to resign.

“As a Senate-approved leader, you have the right to replace us,” the journalists wrote. – Nothing changes with you, your passion, your mission and your honesty. Michael Pack promised in Congress to respect the firewall that guarantees the independence of the VOA.

This, in turn, contributes greatly to the great trust we have in audiences around the world. “

Clearly, efforts are being made to reassure journalists and other staff. But there are more troubling signs. Another organization overseen by USAGM, Libby Liu, head of the Open Technology Foundation, resigned on Sunday.

Just a day ago, Liu had received the attention of Michael Horowitz, a guest on the Bannon talk show and a Christian Right activist. He accused Liu of helping the Chinese Communist Party censor the Internet.

However, critics immediately pointed out that Liu had spearheaded Radio Free Asia for 14 years, and that this media outlet had been highly critical of the Chinese Communists, so even if he resigned from the last position, not because of criticism of S Bannon’s show, the accusations against her are unfounded.

In addition to VOA, USAGM oversees the activities of Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East. There are also more smaller organizations.

A criminal investigation was launched.

The procedure to approve M. Pack as head of the USAGM was carried out under unusual circumstances. In May, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia announced that an investigation had been launched into a possible illegal enrichment of Pack.

You may have transferred $ 1.6 million from the non-profit organization Public Media Lab’s account to the account of its already profitable film production company. AMERICAN DOLLAR.

That’s why Senate Democrats have argued that the approval process should be suspended, both because of the ongoing criminal investigation and doubts about Pack’s fairness.

In May, the Attorney General for the District of Columbia announced that an investigation had been launched into a possible illegal enrichment of Pack.

But Trump began complaining to Senate Republicans over lunch that same May, and Pack was approved by the USAGM as head of state, with a personal interview with Mitch McConnell, head of the Republican majority in the Senate.

According to The New York Times, the President of the United States called the VOA “the voice of the Soviet Union” and said at a press conference in April: “What the American voice conveys is unpleasant for our country.” Michael Pack would come there and do a great job. “

And even earlier, the White House media team on the official website attacked the VOA, which had become a platform for Chinese propaganda. The Trump administration was caught in a light VOA report on the opening of the city of Wuhan: “Too often, the VOA speaks through the lips of American opponents rather than its citizens.”

Bennett later rejected the attack and published more than a dozen references to VOA messages that expose the Beijing disinformation campaign. Furthermore, China has always criticized Voice of America journalists and rejects visas for some of them.

Still close to Trump, although Bannon, who is no longer in the White House, also asks the president to reform the VOA: “He is a sweaty fish, from head to tail.”

Bennett now also announces that Greta Van Susteren, a longtime VOA reporter, and her colleagues will no longer be admitted to press conferences by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. USA At the request of the White House, and no communication will be established with these journalists by phone or email.

“The interference will be more radical”

“It just came to our attention then. And if you see a tool that could be used, you try to act. Of course, this also has to do with elections and image building.” 15 minutes D.Donauskaitė confirmed.

The specialist does not hesitate: “Everyone who follows events obviously applies to the content. Another former White House employee should be admitted to the VOA: it’s obvious that the staff will change, the message will change. The tradition created by the VOA can be broken. “

The difference between VOA, Radio Free Europe and other media organizations funded by the US government. The US, and the Russian RT or Chinese Xinhua, is that the Americans have enshrined the independence of these media in law.

But now, according to D. Donauskaitė, authoritarian countries seem to have an opportunity to say that what they have always accused the United States is true.

D.Donauskaitė: Journalists who worked there for many years felt intellectually free there. And now, it seems to me that the interference will be more radical than before. That will not be so, let’s say soft.

“For such countries, this will be an argument in support of what they have been saying all along: that the VOA is official. The VOA emerged as an example of how truth can defeat propaganda, thereby building authority.

But if the position of this administration is different from the previous ones, the main idea in itself really suffers, “said the media specialist.

It is true that D. Donauskaitė noted that there were attempts to interfere with VOA activities in the past, for example, during the George W. Bush administration’s work year. But this time defense may not be possible.

“If staff, leaders can be appointed by politicians, it means interference. It used to be the same: the structure of the VOA is such that the organization is vulnerable anyway. But the journalists who worked there for many years felt intellectually free there.

And now, it seems to me that the interference will be more radical than before. It won’t be like that, let’s say soft, ” 15 minutes D.Donauskaitė confirmed.