Latest news with #RadioFreeEurope-RadioLiberty
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - US-funded media like Voice of America must be saved and strengthened
America has always been at its best when it stands firmly for truth, freedom and human dignity. Today, that legacy is under threat. Just as the world needs them most, vital American soft power tools — Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty — are at risk of being dismantled by the Trump administration. I know what that voice sounds like. I first heard it through a shortwave radio in the early 1990s, when I was a university student in China, far from my hometown of Kashgar in the Uyghur region. Isolated and eager to understand the outside world, I tuned in to the BBC and Voice of America. That crackling shortwave signal was my window to freedom. For me, it was more than news — it was a revelation. I never had formal English training. Everything I learned came from programs like Voice of America's Special English and Talk to America. I also tuned into its Mandarin service, which helped sharpen my Chinese. Hearing democracy and dissent in the same language used for propaganda was both jarring and electrifying. Those broadcasts introduced me to American ideals — freedom of speech, democratic movements, political dissent and civil society. They told stories of exiles, reformers and ordinary citizens. They changed my life. As I wrote in my memoir 'No Escape,' those radio signals inspired me to come to America nearly 30 years ago. I became the first U.S.-educated Uyghur corporate lawyer, a congressionally appointed official and a human rights advocate. Over the last two decades, I have given countless interviews to Voice of America's English, Uzbek, Turkish, Persian, Tibetan and Mandarin programs — sharing stories from the very nation whose ideals once reached me across oceans and borders. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty also played a critical role. As someone with ties to Central Asia, the outlet helped me understand the region's political developments. As former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I spoke to its audiences about why Americans care about protecting freedom for everyone, everywhere. Two years ago, I visited Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's headquarters in Prague and sat in the same chair once occupied by Václav Havel. I met brave reporters covering the war in Ukraine who were risking their lives to deliver the truth. But my deepest connection is with Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service. When it first launched, I applied to be a reporter, hoping to deliver uncensored news to my people. Since then, I've spoken on its Uyghur, Tibetan and Mandarin programs to explain U.S. policy and offer hope to those still silenced. After 9/11, when China labeled itself a victim of terrorism, I used Radio Free Asia to explain how Beijing exploited global rhetoric to justify oppression. I clarified that America's fight was never against the Uyghur people. I explained a justice system they had never known. My late father, like many Uyghur intellectuals, listened to Radio Free Asia at great risk. It gave them hope to know that the American people stood with them. The journalists at Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service are heroes. They have exposed China's concentration camps, forced labor, abuses against women and children and the destruction of places of worship and sacred sites. Their work helped lead to the U.S. government's recognition of China's actions as genocide and laid the groundwork for the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This seminal law bans products made with Uyghur forced labor and protects American consumers, workers and businesses from unfair and unethical trade. Radio Free Asia's Uyghur journalists have had loved ones imprisoned or sent to camps because of their work for the American people. Now these same journalists face the loss of their livelihoods. We ask them to risk everything for truth. The least we can do is make sure their microphones stay on. These networks are not perfect. At times, editorial decisions have strayed from their core mission. But those rare missteps call for reform, not retreat. These outlets need a reboot, not a burial. Yes, there is waste across government. But gutting the only free media outlets that reach persecuted populations — like the Uyghurs — is not the answer. The U.S. remains the only country with the legislative and policy tools to confront China's genocide. Silencing that voice now would be morally indefensible and strategically short-sighted. Resuming and strengthening these broadcasts is not just a moral imperative — it is a strategic investment in American global leadership. These services don't just report the news. They offer hope — our sharpest weapon against repression. And they show the world what freedom sounds like. Now is the time to call on leaders to restore funding and empower these programs to continue their core mission. Doing so will reaffirm America's leadership and send a message to the world that truth still matters. This isn't a partisan issue — it's a patriotic one. Independent media is one of the most cost-effective and powerful tools in America's arsenal. It doesn't require tanks or troops — only truth and access. Freedom of the press is not just a constitutional principle — it is the beating heart of America's identity and our greatest export. While dictators invest in propaganda, we should be investing in uncensored news and authentic American stories. Don't pull the plug — power it up. Because when America speaks clearly and boldly, the world listens. Nury Turkel is a lawyer and the award-winning author of 'No Escape: The True Story of China's Genocide of the Uyghurs.' He is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute and former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
16-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
U.S.-funded media like Voice of America must be saved and strengthened
America has always been at its best when it stands firmly for truth, freedom and human dignity. Today, that legacy is under threat. Just as the world needs them most, vital American soft power tools — Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty — are at risk of being dismantled by the Trump administration. I know what that voice sounds like. I first heard it through a shortwave radio in the early 1990s, when I was a university student in China, far from my hometown of Kashgar in the Uyghur region. Isolated and eager to understand the outside world, I tuned in to the BBC and Voice of America. That crackling shortwave signal was my window to freedom. For me, it was more than news — it was a revelation. I never had formal English training. Everything I learned came from programs like Voice of America's Special English and Talk to America. I also tuned into its Mandarin service, which helped sharpen my Chinese. Hearing democracy and dissent in the same language used for propaganda was both jarring and electrifying. Those broadcasts introduced me to American ideals — freedom of speech, democratic movements, political dissent and civil society. They told stories of exiles, reformers and ordinary citizens. They changed my life. As I wrote in my memoir 'No Escape,' those radio signals inspired me to come to America nearly 30 years ago. I became the first U.S.-educated Uyghur corporate lawyer, a congressionally appointed official and a human rights advocate. Over the last two decades, I have given countless interviews to Voice of America's English, Uzbek, Turkish, Persian, Tibetan and Mandarin programs — sharing stories from the very nation whose ideals once reached me across oceans and borders. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty also played a critical role. As someone with ties to Central Asia, the outlet helped me understand the region's political developments. As former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, I spoke to its audiences about why Americans care about protecting freedom for everyone, everywhere. Two years ago, I visited Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's headquarters in Prague and sat in the same chair once occupied by Václav Havel. I met brave reporters covering the war in Ukraine who were risking their lives to deliver the truth. But my deepest connection is with Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service. When it first launched, I applied to be a reporter, hoping to deliver uncensored news to my people. Since then, I've spoken on its Uyghur, Tibetan and Mandarin programs to explain U.S. policy and offer hope to those still silenced. After 9/11, when China labeled itself a victim of terrorism, I used Radio Free Asia to explain how Beijing exploited global rhetoric to justify oppression. I clarified that America's fight was never against the Uyghur people. I explained a justice system they had never known. My late father, like many Uyghur intellectuals, listened to Radio Free Asia at great risk. It gave them hope to know that the American people stood with them. The journalists at Radio Free Asia's Uyghur Service are heroes. They have exposed China's concentration camps, forced labor, abuses against women and children and the destruction of places of worship and sacred sites. Their work helped lead to the U.S. government's recognition of China's actions as genocide and laid the groundwork for the bipartisan Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act. This seminal law bans products made with Uyghur forced labor and protects American consumers, workers and businesses from unfair and unethical trade. Radio Free Asia's Uyghur journalists have had loved ones imprisoned or sent to camps because of their work for the American people. Now these same journalists face the loss of their livelihoods. We ask them to risk everything for truth. The least we can do is make sure their microphones stay on. These networks are not perfect. At times, editorial decisions have strayed from their core mission. But those rare missteps call for reform, not retreat. These outlets need a reboot, not a burial. Yes, there is waste across government. But gutting the only free media outlets that reach persecuted populations — like the Uyghurs — is not the answer. The U.S. remains the only country with the legislative and policy tools to confront China's genocide. Silencing that voice now would be morally indefensible and strategically short-sighted. Resuming and strengthening these broadcasts is not just a moral imperative — it is a strategic investment in American global leadership. These services don't just report the news. They offer hope — our sharpest weapon against repression. And they show the world what freedom sounds like. Now is the time to call on leaders to restore funding and empower these programs to continue their core mission. Doing so will reaffirm America's leadership and send a message to the world that truth still matters. This isn't a partisan issue — it's a patriotic one. Independent media is one of the most cost-effective and powerful tools in America's arsenal. It doesn't require tanks or troops — only truth and access. Freedom of the press is not just a constitutional principle — it is the beating heart of America's identity and our greatest export. While dictators invest in propaganda, we should be investing in uncensored news and authentic American stories. Don't pull the plug — power it up. Because when America speaks clearly and boldly, the world listens.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Silencing Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty is a gift to autocrats
In 1989, with breathtaking speed, the Communist dictatorships that had ruled Eastern Europe for more than 40 years fell. Two years later, their sponsor, the Soviet Union, disintegrated. A crucial factor contributing to the decay and fall of these autocratic regimes was freedom of information. People across the region learned of the latest developments, of brave demonstrators and heroes such as Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa, from Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. It was not propaganda they heard, nor was it stories of life in America — that was the role of Voice of America. Rather, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty reported on life in their listeners' own countries, in their own languages, telling people what their regimes would not. First started as a Cold War tool funded by the CIA, these services were reshaped and merged into a private independent corporation under the supervision of what is now the U.S. Agency for Global Media and funded by Congress. I served as director of research for Radio Free Europe during the momentous years of 1989 to 1991. This gave me a day-to-day, inside look at the extraordinary work done by dedicated journalists, editors, technicians and by brave freelance reporters working in the countries we covered. It is worth remembering, especially by those disparaging Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, that roughly two-thirds of those working for these media organizations are not permanent employees but freelance reporters. These journalists risk their lives and freedom to report from countries under dictatorships, whose leaders are deeply hostile to the U.S. and even more hostile to the spread of information they don't control. In Russia, even to call the invasion of Ukraine a 'war,' rather than a 'special military operation,' risks a prison sentence. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, in its broadcasting to Serbia, Bosnia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan as well as Russia, does not regurgitate such dissembling euphemisms. That is why regimes like the one in Moscow declare them to be enemies of their states. As Mark Pomar, author of 'Cold War Radio,' put it in a recent interview, in Soviet times Radio Liberty was considered the most dangerous of Western broadcasts precisely 'because it dealt far more with domestic issues.' As revolutionary sentiment spread across East Europe, we met every morning to go over the upcoming day's reporting. In the face of such unprecedented upheaval, the dissemination of unsupported rumors, cheerleading or fearmongering was ruled out. Stories for broadcast were based on facts that could be validated, on analysis of actual developments inside the countries. The Radio Free Europe teams supported the challenges to dictatorship, but inflammatory rhetoric was flagged by a broadcast analysis division that listened to and checked our work. At a time of crisis and a turning point in history — like now — simply reporting what was happening was powerful enough. Radio Free Europe was and remains a 'surrogate free press' for people who live where there is none. The outlets provide a reliable, comprehensive picture of developments where people live. They inform people about things that are happening in their own country that the regimes hide or distort, thus validating people's own knowledge and experience — which is usually at odds with regime's media. More broadly, millions of listeners, viewers and readers see on a daily basis how free media should operate in a democracy. In our contemporary environment, one might ask if radio stations are still worth supporting. In fact, the term 'radio' is misleading as the organizations publish written stories, interviews and broadcasts daily across the internet, via YouTube and podcasts on a variety of accessible media, in addition to radio. Precisely because the internet is flooded with disinformation on massive scale by Russia and other autocratic regimes, there needs to be a fact-checked, independent, authentic voice created for people who otherwise would not hear anything like the full story. Do people in Russia know the real numbers of Russian casualties in Ukraine? Do people in Asia know what the Chinese regime is doing to its Uyghur population? They won't, unless services like Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty can stay active. Moreover, information dissemination goes both ways. One of the most vital functions Radio Free Europe serves is to provide accurate analysis and description of what is happening in these countries and regions. People who want to know these countries and create effective policies toward them have a comprehensive source of uncensored information. The research and broadcast teams produce daily articles and reports that delve into the dynamics of countries that are not only closed but also threaten American interests. Both those who live there, those who left and those who have to deal with these countries need an accurate picture. As Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty President and CEO Stephen Capus said, 'This is not the time to cede terrain to the propaganda and censorship of America's adversaries.' Shutting down such a valuable service in the name of 'government efficiency' is as insulting as it is ludicrous. Elon Musk proclaimed on his own information service that 'Nobody listens to them anymore' and that they were 'just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.' Wrong on all counts. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty reaches 47 million people a week in 27 different languages, with more than 9 billion videos viewed. Not a bad return for an annual budget of $142 million — two-thousandths of a percent of the federal government's annual budget. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the division of Europe was ended not by an invading army but by an invading idea: that people have a right to know what is happening in their own land and thus a right to take part in decisions made in their name. This is anathema to every would-be autocrat who sees an enemy behind all who might disagree with them. Autocrats know now, as they did in 1989, that they must control the information environment. America should challenge those efforts with the powerful voices we have and, at the very least, not put out of business one of our most valuable instruments of global influence. Ronald H. Linden is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as director of the European Studies Center and director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies. He was director of research for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany from 1989 to 1991. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
26-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Silencing Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty is a gift to autocrats
In 1989, with breathtaking speed, the Communist dictatorships that had ruled Eastern Europe for more than 40 years fell. Two years later, their sponsor, the Soviet Union, disintegrated. A crucial factor contributing to the decay and fall of these autocratic regimes was freedom of information. People across the region learned of the latest developments, of brave demonstrators and heroes such as Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa, from Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. It was not propaganda they heard, nor was it stories of life in America — that was the role of Voice of America. Rather, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty reported on life in their listeners' own countries, in their own languages, telling people what their regimes would not. First started as a Cold War tool funded by the CIA, these services were reshaped and merged into a private independent corporation under the supervision of what is now the U.S. Agency for Global Media and funded by Congress. I served as director of research for Radio Free Europe during the momentous years of 1989 to 1991. This gave me a day-to-day, inside look at the extraordinary work done by dedicated journalists, editors, technicians and by brave freelance reporters working in the countries we covered. It is worth remembering, especially by those disparaging Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, that roughly two-thirds of those working for these media organizations are not permanent employees but freelance reporters. These journalists risk their lives and freedom to report from countries under dictatorships, whose leaders are deeply hostile to the U.S. and even more hostile to the spread of information they don't control. In Russia, even to call the invasion of Ukraine a 'war,' rather than a 'special military operation,' risks a prison sentence. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, in its broadcasting to Serbia, Bosnia, Ukraine, Iran, Afghanistan as well as Russia, does not regurgitate such dissembling euphemisms. That is why regimes like the one in Moscow declare them to be enemies of their states. As Mark Pomar, author of 'Cold War Radio,' put it in a recent interview, in Soviet times Radio Liberty was considered the most dangerous of Western broadcasts precisely 'because it dealt far more with domestic issues.' As revolutionary sentiment spread across East Europe, we met every morning to go over the upcoming day's reporting. In the face of such unprecedented upheaval, the dissemination of unsupported rumors, cheerleading or fearmongering was ruled out. Stories for broadcast were based on facts that could be validated, on analysis of actual developments inside the countries. The Radio Free Europe teams supported the challenges to dictatorship, but inflammatory rhetoric was flagged by a broadcast analysis division that listened to and checked our work. At a time of crisis and a turning point in history — like now — simply reporting what was happening was powerful enough. Radio Free Europe was and remains a 'surrogate free press' for people who live where there is none. The outlets provide a reliable, comprehensive picture of developments where people live. They inform people about things that are happening in their own country that the regimes hide or distort, thus validating people's own knowledge and experience — which is usually at odds with regime's media. More broadly, millions of listeners, viewers and readers see on a daily basis how free media should operate in a democracy. In our contemporary environment, one might ask if radio stations are still worth supporting. In fact, the term 'radio' is misleading as the organizations publish written stories, interviews and broadcasts daily across the internet, via YouTube and podcasts on a variety of accessible media, in addition to radio. Precisely because the internet is flooded with disinformation on massive scale by Russia and other autocratic regimes, there needs to be a fact-checked, independent, authentic voice created for people who otherwise would not hear anything like the full story. Do people in Russia know the real numbers of Russian casualties in Ukraine? Do people in Asia know what the Chinese regime is doing to its Uyghur population? They won't, unless services like Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty can stay active. Moreover, information dissemination goes both ways. One of the most vital functions Radio Free Europe serves is to provide accurate analysis and description of what is happening in these countries and regions. People who want to know these countries and create effective policies toward them have a comprehensive source of uncensored information. The research and broadcast teams produce daily articles and reports that delve into the dynamics of countries that are not only closed but also threaten American interests. Both those who live there, those who left and those who have to deal with these countries need an accurate picture. As Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty President and CEO Stephen Capus said, 'This is not the time to cede terrain to the propaganda and censorship of America's adversaries.' Shutting down such a valuable service in the name of 'government efficiency' is as insulting as it is ludicrous. Elon Musk proclaimed on his own information service that 'Nobody listens to them anymore' and that they were 'just radical left crazy people talking to themselves while torching $1B/year of US taxpayer money.' Wrong on all counts. Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty reaches 47 million people a week in 27 different languages, with more than 9 billion videos viewed. Not a bad return for an annual budget of $142 million — two-thousandths of a percent of the federal government's annual budget. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the division of Europe was ended not by an invading army but by an invading idea: that people have a right to know what is happening in their own land and thus a right to take part in decisions made in their name. This is anathema to every would-be autocrat who sees an enemy behind all who might disagree with them. Autocrats know now, as they did in 1989, that they must control the information environment. America should challenge those efforts with the powerful voices we have and, at the very least, not put out of business one of our most valuable instruments of global influence. Ronald H. Linden is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as director of the European Studies Center and director of the Center for Russian and East European Studies. He was director of research for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany from 1989 to 1991.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - Silencing America's voice overseas undermines national security
Last Friday, the U.S. decided it no longer needed a voice to counter disinformation, correct misinformation and fill information gaps in regions suffering extreme censorship or lacking competent local journalism. This gift to Russia, China and Iran — and that's what this is, a gift — allows these countries to ply lies and deception unfettered to establish their spheres of influence and turn people against the U.S. and its interests, society and future. Moscow is undoubtedly pleased with the silencing of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty in Russia and in Moscow's imperial territories, which Moscow has subjugated and is trying to subjugate. Smiles are indeed not just in Moscow — with laughter at the headquarters of RT, formerly Russia Today — but also in Budapest. Beijing is also undoubtedly pleased to be rid of the meddling Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, which informed Chinese citizens about what their government did — and, sometimes more importantly, did not do — and the truths about China's regional and global foreign affairs. These networks, equally importantly, informed people outside of China about what China was doing, what those loans really entailed and how it undermined governments and societies to extract raw materials or pay poachers to slaughter endangered animals. Indeed, this will ease tension with any U.S. carmaker with a significant business portfolio in the country. Pyongyang will be thrilled about Radio Free Asia's demise. I don't know if it was still seeding North Korean black markets with South Korean and U.S. content and the hardware to connect abroad, but if it was, it isn't any longer. However, the U.S. Agency for Global Media did much more than send electrons abroad. Through its five networks — Voice of America, Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks — and its internet freedom operation, it worked to build and empower local journalism. Its Open Technology Fund funded the development of Signal and other tools to protect the freedom to speak and to listen. The networks helped citizen journalists share their stories and work toward creating a local understanding of foundational democratic principles, such as the rule of law and accountability. The networks also served as surrogate news organizations for their audiences. When there was some capacity for local news but a lack of reach, U.S. Agency for Global Media journalists could be called on to be the Washington Bureau or report from the field in Ukraine to undermine the disinformation that would otherwise fill the void. The networks told 'America's story' not just to correct disinformation and misinformation but to discuss alternative futures for audiences living under repressive regimes. The stories may seem about us, but they were aimed squarely at the audience. Voice of America's Russian service, for example, reported on Detroit's bankruptcy in St. Petersburg to show that municipal leaders can be held accountable for malfeasance. Its coverage of the Ferguson protests offered a glimpse into how U.S. journalists cover sensitive events, something that audiences in some countries might find unimaginable in their context. The real objective, however, was fostering discussions about comparable challenges within those audiences' societies, where ethnic and racial biases often escalated into significant conflict. The U.S. Agency for Global Media operated in places where commercial media did not, by definition. The commercial press may parachute in, but the agency's journalists were from these places and lived there. What were these places? My shorthand description is that these are countries where the U.S. Special Operations Command will be, has been, or recently was. The U.S. Agency for Global Media journalists' deep relationship with their markets means they were the canaries in the coal mine. They had extensive networks and the pulse of what was happening. They reported on the news from the target audience's perspective, which is why simply translating U.S. networks and beaming them abroad cannot replace the agency. Their deep connections to the people and the land meant that U.S. Agency for Global Media journalists could move with relative ease and had the respect of their audiences. For example, Ukrainians asked a Voice of America reporter to moderate its presidential debates. The nature of the agency's work means there is often a significant threat to its journalists. Too many of its journalists have been killed in the line of duty — duty to the U.S. and to their audience — and many have been, and some remain, prisoners of countries that abhor the sunlight the U.S. Agency for Global Media brings. Not everything was rosy with the agency, however. When I served as a governor on the Broadcasting Board of Governors, now the U.S. Agency for Global Media, I encountered and was able to address significant problems, from severe leadership defects to corruption. Some of these problems weren't solved, and new ones arose. But none of these were so severe the agency should disappear. Its networks provided a valuable contribution to our national security. The shutdown appears to be a knee-jerk reaction to a question in the Oval Office, indicated not just by its suddenness but also because the executive order directing the closing — it did not authorize the closing, because an executive order lacks the authority to do so — concludes mid-sentence. The Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 recommended keeping the agency, the White House nominated a new CEO and Kari Lake was tapped to be the Voice of America director. The shutdown also appears to be illegal. Terminating the grants to Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks does not seem to adhere to the law, which spells out the termination conditions (something I had seriously considered when I served on the Broadcasting Board of Governors). Further, it seems the White House, through the Secretary of State, could have legally invoked the sunset clause Congress placed in the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948. But we've already seen that laws don't matter much anymore. Others will fill the space left by the U.S. Agency for Global Media's sudden disappearance. France's Radio France Internationale, Radio Netherlands, Deutsche Welle, BBC International, or Japan's NHK may gain new audiences, but they have their own interests and objectives. The information operations of China, Russia, Iran and others will eagerly work to build their audience from those who sought the truth from the U.S. Agency for Global Media. The result puts the U.S. at a distinct and growing disadvantage in the enduring struggle for minds and wills. The administration's departure from the Project 2025 roadmap was likely influenced by disinformation about the agency's operations. While some criticisms rely on fantastical and demonstrably false claims, the agency's work is often ignored and misunderstood. In reality, the U.S. Agency for Global Media is a cost-effective asset, providing a greater range and more enduring impact than a single F-35. Its networks disrupt adversaries and contribute to our national security. By ending this connection to hundreds of millions and silencing the agency's journalistic scrutiny of countries impacting our national security, the U.S. has effectively isolated itself. Matt Armstrong served as a governor on the Broadcasting Board of Governors from 2013-2017 and previously served as the executive director of the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. He was sanctioned by Russia in 2022. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
