President Donald Trump' has had many targets in his war against the media, but perhaps none is more surprising than the Voice of America, the venerable US-funded institution created during World War II to broadcast independent news and promote American values to the world.
Trump and his supporters have accused the outlet of disgraceful reporting and are now pushing hard to install their choice to run the government agency that oversees VOA and its affiliates. That battle is about to hit Congress, where partisan lines have been drawn amid a debate that could have a significant impact on the future of the global broadcaster.
Over the objections of Democrats, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee plans Thursday to vote on Trump's nominee to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which runs VOA and its sister outlets like Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Cuba-focused Radio Marti. The Republican-controlled committee is expected to vote on party lines to advance the nomination.
Democrats fear that candidate, conservative filmmaker and former educator Michael Pack, could turn the organization into a Trump propaganda machine funded with more than $200 million a year in taxpayer money. Trump has mused about his desire to control a media outlet. At his confirmation hearing last September, Pack dismissed concerns he would allow that to happen, but the recent furor has reignited those concerns.
The spat has dismayed many who watch U.S. international broadcasting closely, including some who believe the USAGM and VOA are in need of reform, particularly as changes to the agency's governing rules mean the its next chief will be able to bypass its board in making personnel and policy decisions.
All of this is a distraction from what I think is a legitimate debate about what its role should be, said Tom Kent, a former Associated Press editor who went on to head Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. It needs to be clear whether VOA's role is to advocate for democracy and American values in general or whether it is supposed to be a PR agent for the president and the State Department on current issues. The White House did not respond to inquiries about Pack's nomination or the VOA controversy.
The Democrats' stated objections to Pack, a one-time associate of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon who used to work for the conservative Claremont Institute in California, center in part on his refusal to answer questions about his previous business dealings. Yet, the uproar among conservatives over Voice of America and its recent coverage of China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is likely to feature prominently in GOP support for Pack's confirmation. It has become a touchstone in the Trump administration's efforts to criticize Chinese authorities for the outbreak and deflect criticism of the U.S. response as the 2020 presidential campaign heats up.
Trump and his allies have long viewed VOA and some of its affiliates with suspicion, regarding them as elements of a deep state that is trying to thwart their policies. But the hostility burst into the open April 9 when Trump communications adviser Dan Scavino posted a VOA story about China to his official Twitter account with the comment American taxpayerspaying for China's very own propaganda, via the U.S. Government funded Voice of America! DISGRACE!!