WASHINGTON
(AP) — Despite a barrage of criticism from both Democrats and
Republicans, the new chief of U.S. global media is plowing ahead with
changes to the Voice of America and other international broadcasters
that are heightening concerns about their future as independent news
organizations.
Although
Agency for Global Media chief executive Michael Pack has assured
Congress that VOA and its sister networks will remain independent and
pledged he would consult lawmakers on significant developments, last
week he initiated personnel changes and began a review of visas for
foreign employees.
Some
fear the moves will damage the institution’s credibility and its
ability to fulfill its congressionally mandated mission to broadcast
impartial news around the world by turning the operation into a
propaganda machine for President Donald Trump. Others, though, see them
as important and long-needed reforms.
Pack
on Wednesday fired the executive editor of Radio Free Asia, Bay Fang,
whom he had demoted from president shortly after assuming office last
month. A day earlier, Pack installed a South Carolina politician with
little, if any, relevant experience to run the Open Technology Fund,
which works to provide secure internet access to people around the
world.
In
addition, Pack launched a case-by-case review of visas for foreign
agency employees, many of whom bring critical language skills needed to
communicate with the foreign populations that are the primary audiences
for AGM broadcasts. Although the review is not complete and no visa
actions have yet been taken, some believe the review itself sends a
chilling message to journalists.
As
those moves were happening, the agency on Thursday publicly boasted of
removing the Iranian and North Korean flags from a display at its
Washington headquarters, prompting questions about the priorities of its
new leadership at a tumultuous time in world events amid rising
tensions between the U.S. and China and disputes over how to handle the
coronavirus pandemic.
“As
of today, the flags of regimes hostile to America no longer fly in the
halls @USAGMgov, the taxpayer-funded home of U.S. international
broadcasting,” the agency’s public relations bureau tweeted. The post
included before and after photos of the flag display and the hashtags:
“#America” “#freedom” and “#SpotTheDifference.”
Pack,
a conservative filmmaker and associate of former Trump political
adviser Steve Bannon, has defended the moves as necessary to reforming
the agency, which critics have long said is beset by bureaucratic and
journalistic issues. That criticism exploded earlier this year when the
White House attacked VOA for its coverage of COVID-19.
Democrats,
who suspect Pack wants to promote Trump over broader American values
and interests, and some Republicans have demanded explanations for his
abrupt dismissal of the heads of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio
Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Open Technology
Fund. (The director and deputy director of VOA resigned within days of
Pack taking control of AGM.)
On
July 1, seven U.S. senators, including four Republicans who voted for
his controversial nomination, sent a letter to Pack expressing concern
about the dismissals and possible politicization of AGM. “These actions,
which came without any consultation with Congress, let alone
notification, raise serious questions about the future of USAGM under
your leadership,” they wrote.
Pack
did not respond to the letter from Republican Sens. Marco Rubio of
Florida, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Susan Collins of Maine and
Jerry Moran of Kansas until a week later, when he sent a polite but firm
reply that said he was only doing what he had been hired to do.
“The
president, the American people, and the Senate asked me to make bold
and meaningful changes,” he wrote in his July 8 response, a copy of
which was obtained by The Associated Press. “Indeed, throughout the
confirmation process, and in the weeks since taking the helm, I made
clear my commitment to fixing the widely-known management issues that
have long beleaguered USAGM and, in turn, its institutions.”
’During
the confirmation process, I pledged to respect and protect the
independence of the USAGM journalists, and I stand by that pledge,” he
said. “I also wish to reiterate my firm commitment to honoring the VOA
Charter and to supporting the missions of the other USAGM networks and
our heroic journalists around the world. As an agency, through accurate
and reliable reporting, we have to get the truth to those starved for
it.”
Yet, the
review of visas, known as J-1 visas, for foreign staffers and the
appointment of 78-year-old former South Carolina Secretary of State
James Mills to run the Open Technology Fund have raised questions about
that commitment.
The
visa review, in particular, “will be perceived as a threat to many
reporters,” said Matt Armstrong, a former Republican appointee to the
Broadcasting Board of Governors, which was the AGM’s predecessor. “Mr
Pack is finding his ways to influence VOA’s output without direct
intervention. Failing to renew (visas) may result in harsh penalties for
some of these reporters and their families, from jail to even death.”
In
response to reports that visas had already been or were about to be
cancelled, the agency responded that the review was not yet complete and
that “it appreciates the value of critical-language skills offered by
U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.”
“To
improve agency management and protect U.S. national security, it is
imperative to determine that hiring authorities and personnel practices
are not misused,” it said. “As such, USAGM is undertaking a
comprehensive, case-by-case assessment of personal services contractors
who are J-1 visa holders.”
It did not give a projected date for the completion of the review.
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