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Scoop
3 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Propaganda Siren: Silencing The Voice Of America
In March this year, the Trump administration effectively shuttered the Voice of America, a broadcasting vehicle for the selective promotion of US policy and culture for over eight decades. Nearly all of its 1,300 staff of producers, journalists and assistants, including those working at the US Agency for Global Media, were placed on administrative leave. Kari Lake, President Donald Trump's appointment to lead the Voice, was unflattering about that 'giant rot and burden to the American taxpayer.' Last month, Lake confirmed that layoff notices had been sent to 639 employees. The motivations for attacking VOA were hardly budgetary. The White House cited a number of sources to back the claim that the organisation had become an outlet of 'radical propaganda.' VOA veteran Dan Robinson features, calling it 'a hubris-filled rogue operation often reflecting leftist bias aligned with partisan national media.' The Daily Caller moaningly remarks that VOA reporters had 'repeatedly posted anti-Trump comments on their professional Twitter accounts, despite a social media policy requiring employee impartiality on social media platforms.' The Voice, not aligned with MAGA, had to be silenced. The measure by Trump drew its inevitable disapproval. VOA director, Michael Abramowitz, stuck to the customary line that his organisation 'promotes freedom and democracy around the world by telling America's story and by providing objective and balanced news and information, especially for those living under tyranny.' Reporters Without Borders condemned the order 'as a departure from the US's historic role as a defender of free information and calls on the US government to restore VOA and urges Congress and the international community to take action against his unprecedented move.' As with much criticism of Trump's seemingly impulsive actions, these sentimental views proved misguided and disingenuous. Trump is on uncontentious ground to see the Voice as one dedicated to propaganda. However, he misunderstands most nuttily that the propaganda in question overwhelmingly favours US policies and programs. His quibble is that they are not favourable enough. Prohibited from broadcasting in the United States, VOA's propaganda role was always a full-fledged one, promoting the US as a spanking, virtuous brand of democratic good living in the face of garden variety tyrants, usually of the political left. Blemishes were left unmentioned, the role of the US imperium in intervening in the affairs of other countries considered cautiously. Loath to adequately fund domestic public service providers like National Public Radio (NPR), the US Congress was content to fork out for what was effectively an information arm of government sloganeering for Freedom's Land. The VOA Charter, drafted in 1960 and signed into law as Public Law 94-350 by President Gerald Ford on July 12, 1976, expressed the view that 'The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listeners.' It stipulated various aspirational and at times unattainable aims: be reliable on the news, have authoritative standing, pursue accuracy, objectivity and be comprehensive. America was to be represented in whole and not as any single segment of society, with the VOA representing 'a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.' US policies would be presented 'clearly and effectively' as would 'responsible discussions and opinion on these policies.' The aims of the charter were always subordinate to the original purpose of the radio outlet. The Voice was born in the propaganda maelstrom of World War II, keen to win over audiences in Nazi Germany and its occupied territories. Authorised to continue operating by the Smith-Mundt Act of 1946, it continued its work during the Cold War, its primary task that of fending off any appeal communism might have. Till October 1948, program content was governed under contract with the NBC and CBS radio networks. This troubled some members of Congress, notably regarding broadcasts to Latin America. The US State Department then assumed control, authority of which passed on to the newly created United States Information Agency (USIA). In such arrangements, the objective of fair dissemination of information was always subject to the dictates of US foreign policy. What mattered most, according to R. Peter Straus, who assumed the directorship of VOA in 1977, was to gather 'a highly professional group of people and trying to excite them about making the freest democracy in the world understandable to the rest of the world – not necessarily loved by, nor even necessarily liked by but understood by the rest of the world.' The State Department left an enduring legacy in that regard, with the amalgamation of its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs with the USIA in 1978 during the Carter administration. Furthermore, prominent positions at the Voice tended to be filled by career members of the diplomatic corps. Given that role, it was rather rich to have the likes of Republican Congresswoman Young Kim of California question Trump's executive order, worried that closing the Voice would effectively silence a body dedicated to the selfless distribution of accurate information. Accuracy in that sense, alloyed by US interests, would always walk to the dictates of power. Kim errs in assuming that reporting via such outlets, emanating from a 'free' society, must therefore be more truthful than authoritarian rivals. 'For a long time now, our reporting has not been blocked by adversaries like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea,' she claimed in March. 'Now, we are ourselves shutting off the ability to get the information into those oppressed regimes to the people that are dying for the real truth and information.' As such truth and information is curated by an adjunct of the State Department, such people would be advised to be a tad sceptical. The falling out of favour with Trump, not just of the Voice, but such anti-communist creations of the Cold War like Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia, is a loss for the propagandists. Arguments that stress the value of their continued existence as organs of veracity in news and accuracy, correctives to the disinformation and misinformation of adversaries, are deludedly slanted. All forms of disinformation and misinformation should be battled and neither the Voice's critics, nor its fans, seem to understand what they are. VOA and its sister stations could never be relied upon to subject US foreign and domestic policy to rigorous critique. Empires are not in the business of truth but power and effect. Radio stations created in their name must always be viewed with that in mind.
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego will make stop through Iowa amid early 2028 presidential buzz
U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego will make a stop through Iowa in August — a move that likely will generate presidential primary chatter for the Arizona Democrat as well as renewed buzz for Iowa, where some Democrats are eager to regain a foothold on the presidential nominating calendar. Gallego will attend the Iowa State Fair Aug. 8 — a quintessential presidential campaign stop — and then travel to the Quad Cities Aug. 9 where he'll attend a town hall in Scott County, his staff told the Des Moines Register. That event will be co-hosted by the Iowa Democratic Party and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. According to his staff, Gallego plans to speak directly to voters about the "disastrous budget bill" Republicans passed and President Donald Trump signed into law July 4. 'Like most Iowans, Ruben Gallego didn't grow up having things handed to him — he had to work hard and pay his dues," Gallego's chief of staff, Raphael Chavez-Fernandez, said in a statement. "That's why he's headed to the Hawkeye State to call out those who backed Trump's billionaire tax scam at the expense of Iowa's good, hard working people. Ruben's not afraid to say the quiet part out loud: that Iowa families are getting screwed, and Iowans deserve leaders who will fight for them every single day." Gallego defeated MAGA firebrand Kari Lake in 2024 to become Arizona's first Latino U.S. senator, and he is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party after winning a battleground state that Republican President Donald Trump also carried. More: President Mark Kelly? Could Arizona's US senators be White House hopefuls in 2028? That victory came in part by overperforming among Latino voters compared with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, a key constituency that Democrats struggled to court in 2024. Gallego is one of several national Democrats who appear to be positioning themselves for a potential White House bid in 2028. Without an incumbent on the ballot or an heir apparent waiting in the wings, the Democratic primary field is expected to be a wide open free-for-all. Gallego stoked speculation about his future ambitions by traveling to Pennsylvania, a key presidential battleground, in May. He held a town hall with local Democrats to help draw attention to Republicans who were not holding public meetings with their constituents. Gallego has also looked to raise his national profile on immigration-related issues, co-sponsoring the Laken Riley Act in the Senate and releasing a campaign-style immigration plan. More: Sen. Ruben Gallego for president? New border security, immigration plan fuels speculation Other would-be presidential contenders are also making the rounds to other key states as the 2028 shadow primary begins to unfold. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said July 6 he is considering a possible 2028 run. And on July 8, California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched a two-day tour of South Carolina, the state that led off the 2024 primary calendar for Democrats. Gallego's trip to Iowa may help renew a conversation about whether Iowa belongs in the early state lineup as the 2028 presidential primary process gets underway. It follows a May appearance by former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who held his first public in-person appearance since leaving his cabinet post in January. He drew a standing-room-only crowd and a throng of national reporters. Although Iowa no longer officially leads off the presidential nominating calendar, Buttigieg's visit to Iowa still generated national media attention and lots of questions about his future plans. Buttigieg declined to weigh in when asked by reporters whether Iowa should reclaim its first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. But he touted what the caucus experience did for his rise. 'People like me are takers and not makers of the rules on that,' he said. 'What I will say is that Iowa showed me what can happen through a process where you have to be in backyards and do four town halls a day. It made it possible for somebody like me to emerge as a national figure, and it certainly made me better, not just as a candidate, but I think ultimately, as a public servant, when I did have the opportunity to serve in the Capitol.' When Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart was reelected to another term as chair in January, she said she would hold listening sessions around the state to determine how the party's grassroots wanted to move forward with the caucuses. And when the Democratic National Committee removed longtime Rules and Bylaws Committee member Scott Brennan from the panel that sets the presidential nominating calendar, Brennan left the door open to holding a rogue event that goes against the DNC's official calendar in 2028. "I think that we are certainly not constrained in any way from doing what Iowa Democrats and our chair decide," he said at the time. Other Iowa Democrats have also suggested holding a first-in-the-nation nominating event, even if it goes against the DNC's wishes. Iowa House Minority Leader Brian Meyer, D-Des Moines, said on a June 27 episode of Iowa Press that he will push for Iowa Democrats to reclaim their spot at the front of the presidential nominating calendar. "At the end of the day, we can get rid of the weird math that we do as Democrats and just adopt what the Republicans have done, which is more like a straw poll," Meyer said. "Just have a straw poll, and just move forward with this." Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@ or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ruben Gallego to visit Iowa State Fair amid 2028 presidential buzz
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘You sound like a Chinese communist!': John Olszewski blasts Kari Lake in fiery clash - The Economic Times Video
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. John Olszewski (D-MD) asked USAGM Kari Lake about Voice Of America. "The so-called beacon of Freedom, VOA, has now been discarded by its own government like a dirty rag." This is from the Chinese Communist Party's owned Global Times paper. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mao Ning seems to agree with your characterization of VOA as, "A lie factory that stirs up conflict with a notorious track record in their China coverage." I guess my question to you, is it concerning, or should it be concerning to us as members of this committee, that you share the same opinion as a Chinese Communist government spokesperson?, Olszewski asked Kari Lake.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Kari Lake declares US Agency for Global Media ‘rotten to the core,' sets 2026 shutdown goal: 'A boondoggle'
Kari Lake isn't backing down. In blunt testimony before Congress Wednesday, Lake declared the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the $950 million agency for which she is the senior advisor overseeing Voice of America (VOA), is "rotten to the core" and on track to be gutted by 2026. "This place is rotten. It's rotten to the core," Lake told the House Oversight Committee. "President Trump has asked me to go in and help clean it up, and he's also issued an executive order to reduce this agency down to its mandate, to what is mandated, statutorily required. That's exactly what I'm doing. I don't care if they attack me." She's not acting alone. Lake provided Fox News Digital with a letter from House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., demanding records on USAGM's foreign hires, conflicts of interest and its handling of disinformation and national security. EXCLUSIVE: KARI LAKE SAYS VOA'S PERSIAN NEWS SERVICE 'RISING TO THE OCCASION' AMID IRAN-ISRAEL CONFLICT President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to say, "Why would a Republican want Democrat 'mouthpiece,' Voice of America (VOA), to continue? It's a TOTAL, LEFTWING DISASTER — No Republican should vote for its survival. KILL IT!" Lake didn't hold back in describing what she found within USAGM. "It's really like a rotten piece of fish," she said. "And you're looking at it, and you're saying, 'Is there anything we can pull out of here and eat?' And it's best to just scrap the whole thing and start over." APPEALS COURT BACKS VOA OVERHAUL KARI LAKE SAYS WILL 'MODERNIZE' AGENCY: 'HUGE VICTORY FOR PRESIDENT TRUMP' She argued that instead of defending American values abroad, the federally funded national and international news agency had become compromised with hostile actors potentially influencing what gets broadcast on the U.S. taxpayer's dime. "The [Chinese Communist Party] has more control over what we put out editorially than people who are management at the agency," Lake said. "Are any of these VOA employees who acted on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party ... still employed? It's possible. We're working to try to figure that out." She accused the grantees — including VOA, Radio Free Asia and the Open Technology Fund — of resisting oversight and stonewalling basic financial reviews. "Nearly $400 million, the hard-earned taxpayer dollars of hard-working American people, are going to these grantees, and they've stonewalled us from getting any information until the eleventh hour," Lake said. "Finally, last night, knowing I would be sitting here, they finally agreed to say, 'Oh, we'll let you look at our books now.' It's a joke what's going on." Lake found no shortage of support from Republicans on the committee, including Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., who said the agency should've been shut down years ago. "We might as well be riding a Model T down the middle of the street. It might be ... it looks good, and it brings back old memories, but, dadgum, it's not very efficient," Burchett said. Lake agreed, adding, "It's a relic." Democrats accused Lake of dismantling a strategic asset and repeating anti-VOA rhetoric similar to that used by China. Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., said, "You just want to reduce it to its statutory minimum. And then you said … that it will be gone by 2026. You want it gone. The president wants it gone by 2026. ... You're a propaganda machine for the Trump administration." Dean said she had "no questions" for Lake, adding, "You have misled this committee. ... You've lost your credibility. You have poured it out in buckets." Rep. Julie Johnson, D-Texas, claimed layoffs would "cede all of our soft power in the world to our adversaries," arguing, "354 million people listen to [VOA] every week." Lake replied bluntly, "Those are government numbers. And I don't trust those numbers." Johnson shot back, "That's a sad state of affairs when you don't trust the government that you're representing." Lake defended the cuts, saying they follow the law and common sense. "We are doing what is statutorily required," she said. "The statutory minimum President Trump put forth in his executive order ... and that's what we're going to do." Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., expressed concern that cutting grantee staff could weaken U.S. influence in hot spots like Iran and North Korea. "We can do it with a smaller staff.," Lake replied. "This newsroom should have been downsized a long time ago. … It's over. Too many people were working in the newsroom, and we've shrunk that down." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP She added that many grantee roles were redundant. "Why do we need RFA to be doing a Mandarin news service when we at VOA are doing Mandarin?" Lake said. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., closed with a comparison. iHeartMedia runs a national operation at $90 million per year. USAGM's budget? Nearly $1 billion. Lake's closing message was direct. "We can do this smarter, leaner and with loyalty to American values," she said.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Is the VOA, DOA? With Kari Lake in charge of things, it might be
The VOA is perhaps DOA. At least that's the interpretation of Kari Lake. Lake ran unsuccessfully for governor of Arizona in 2022. She ran for the Senate in 2024 and lost. So President Trump appointed Lake to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The worst thing in broadcasting is dead air. And that may be the goal of Lake – a former Arizona TV news anchor. "It's really like a rotten piece of fish," said Lake before a recent House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing. "And it's best to just scrap the whole thing and start over." She plans to edit the influence of VOA and other government media such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcast Networks. "We need to modernize. I don't think doing 1990s television is effective anymore," said Lake. The hearing marked the first time Lake testified before lawmakers since President Trump tapped her for the position. She told lawmakers that Chinese spies infiltrated the VOA's Mandarin service. And Russian spooks nearly made the payroll at Radio Free Europe. "This is not the voice of America. This is the voice of America's enemies," said Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky. Democrats say curbing VOA silences the U.S. from transmitting news and truthful information into enemy territory. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., was apoplectic at the Trump Administration's plans to cancel many of the government's radio and TV broadcasts abroad. "My God. It's the worst and most stupid thing that we could do in foreign affairs," fumed Sherman. "That's our soft power. That's our effort to bring freedom of information and hopefully democracy to the entire world. That's how we explain ourselves in dozens of different languages. And for them to gut it? In terms of our influence in the world, Voice of America and its sister broadcasters is more important than an aircraft carrier." Sherman reiterated his concerns about diminishing soft power at the hearing, adding that changes to the VOA lineup may appeal to a special audience abroad. "I think Putin would be very happy," said Sherman about the Russian leader. "Bombs are powerful. Truth is more powerful." But it's not just Democrats who fret about the static on the government airwaves. Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., says unwinding Radio Free Asia cedes power to China and North Korea. "We have let go of journalists that have spent decades building their credibility and trust with our audiences," said Kim. "Without reporting from the outside world through VOA and (Radio Free Asia), most North Korean civilians only see the United States as the bad guy." Kim feared the U.S. couldn't "win in the information domain." Lake recently canned 639 Global Media employees. She says her orders come from the top. Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, asked what sort of "review" she did to pare back VOA and other services. "What we've reviewed was an executive order March 14th by the man who's in charge of the executive branch. Hs name is Donald Trump," said Lake. She then held up a photo of the president and showed it to lawmakers facing her on the dais. Democrats contend that's exactly the problem as the president and Lake try to redesign American government broadcasters. "I see why Mr. Trump put you in this position. He doesn't want a free press," scolded Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Penn. "You are a propaganda machine for the Trump Administration." Democrats piled on. "I'm also concerned about your ability to promote American democracy given your background backing dictators," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. Other Democrats highlighted Lake's controversial political history and how she questioned the results of both races. "You have been sanctioned twice for providing false information to courts. Isn't that true? Yes or no?," asked Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., the former mayor of Phoenix. "I was brave enough to fight our shoddy elections. And the courts have not caught up," fired back Lake. "The American people cannot believe a word you say," said Stanton. "You lost, fair and square. Instead of conceding, you embarrassed yourself and our state by lying again and again for years, blaming everything under the sun for your loss except for your own toxic politics. You lie about that election to this very day." After Lake's dual political losses, Stanton had a request of Lake. "Will you do us all a favor and run it back and run again?" he asked. Lake encountered more friendly questioning from Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich. He asked about potential messages U.S. Global Media could broadcast around the world. "What do you think some of the most important stories and tenants about America that need to be told that haven't been getting told?" asked Huizenga. "I think that just the history of this country and what this country is about. Our freedoms. Our liberties. Our Bill of Rights," stated Lake. "Maybe the founding of our country?" suggested Huizenga. "The founding of our country and especially this year with 250 years," responded Lake, noting that July 4, 2025, is the semi-quincentennial of the U.S. "That would seem to me a pretty big story to tell," added Huizenga. Congress commissioned VOA during the Cold War to beam news behind the Iron Curtain. But today, Republicans question its necessity. Especially when people now get news from their phone. "Goddangit, it's not very efficient," said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. "It's a relic," declared Lake. "Yes ma'am. It's a Cold War relic," agreed Burchett. VOA fired dozens of staff in its Persian division. But restored some programming as tensions rose between Iran and Israel – culminating in the recent U.S. airstrikes. But the VOA's Persian service used to broadcast 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Even though VOA bolstered some reporting amid the crisis, it was a fraction of the work the organization used to do. "From my understanding the VOA operation is pretty much gone," observed Kim at the hearing. "No. It's not gone. We're doing what is statutorily required," replied Lake. "The statutory minimum." That means VOA and other services are but a husk. Congress will prepare spending bills for the entire federal government over the next three months. What lawmakers decide to do with funding for VOA and Global Media will foretell the future of the organizations. And if the microphones fall silent for good.
