Latest news with #VOA
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.
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Voice of America employee allegedly made repeated threats to kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her family
A longtime Voice of America employee has been arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene — including a call where he threatened to shoot her 'between the eyes' with an AK-47. Seth Jason — who is also a reserve police officer with the Maryland department that arrested him Thursday — made at leats eight calls over 15 months threatening 'the use of firearms to kill Rep. Greene, her staff and their families,' federal prosecutors said Thursday. The calls 'were made from various phone lines connected to studios and control rooms at Voice of America headquarters,' the feds said of the government-funded broadcast network 'where Jason had worked as a longtime employee,' with the final call in January. 'I'm looking forward to your book signing. We are all armed and ready to take care of you,' he allegedly said in one, according to prosecutors. 3 Ex-VOA employee Seth Jason allegedly threatened to assault and kill Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her family members during a series of phone calls. VOA 'We're coming after you and your staff, and we are locked and loaded. We're going to take you all out,' the call continued. 'We've got our AK-47s. You're going to get one between the eyes. Bam, bam, bam.' Jason, 64, of Edgewater, Md., was arrested early Thursday by US Capitol Police as well as the Anne Arundel Police Department — where he had worked as a volunteer reserve officer since 2016. The Anne Arundel department said one of its volunteers was arrested, while saying is no longer affiliated with the department. Jason began working at the VOA in 2001, according to his LinkedIn. It is not immediately clear when his job ended. However, the last call from the HQ was in January. 3 'We are all armed and ready to take care of you,' Jason allegedly said in a threatening call to Greene. Getty Images Interim US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Pirro, said the threats were made 'repeatedly and continuously.' 'You threaten a public official, and you face the full force of the law crushing down on you,' she warned. 'There will be no mercy and no excuses.' Jason was indicted on four charges for influencing a federal official by threatening a family member, influencing a federal official by threat, interstate communications with a threat to kidnap or injure, and anonymous telecommunications harassment, according to his arrest warrant. 3 The threatening calls came from multiple phone lines linked to studios and control rooms at VOA headquarters. Christopher Sadowski He has been in custody since Thursday, court records indicate. The VOA didn't immediately respond to the Post for a request for comment.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
China Gets More Airtime Around the World as Voice of America Signs Off
For years, one of Indonesia's most popular news channels hosted a weekly segment for the country's Chinese diaspora that often featured reports in Mandarin from both the U.S.-government backed Voice of America, and China's state-run television. Now, since the Trump administration moved to dismantle most of the U.S. Agency for Global Media in March, only the reports from Chinese state media show up. In his second term, Donald Trump has blown up decades of U.S. foreign-policy efforts, eliminating billions of dollars of foreign aid and influence programs, saying the money was being misused and would be better spent elsewhere. Trump's March executive order called for the $900 million media agency, which not only funds VOA but also other media outlets, including Radio Free Asia, to do only the things it was legally required to do. The official overseeing its retrenchment, Kari Lake, accused the agency at a hearing last month of being incompetent, politically biased and itself a national-security threat. Most of the staff has been either fired or put on administrative leave and has filed lawsuits alleging the shutdown of programming was illegal. In its wake, China's perspective on global events has begun to dominate broadcasts around the world. In Thailand, for example, VOA's regular appearances on the state-owned MCOT broadcaster went to a Chinese media outlet. A tale of two Thai broadcasts: VOA in February, Chinese state media in May In Africa, another Beijing-backed network, CGTN, announced in March that it would expand its operations on the continent, following others that have already increased their reach there. China Radio International, for example, mainly broadcasts in English but has expanded its coverage with some of Nigeria's widely spoken languages, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, to try to reach local audiences. The departure of Voice of America from Nigeria 'created a perceptible void, especially in terms of trusted, independent international news content,' Nigeria's information minister, Mohammed Idris, said in a written response to questions. While VOA's coverage emphasized free speech, human rights and open democratic discourse, Chinese media is focused on development success stories, economic cooperation and social stability, he said. In Ethiopia, Chinese and Ethiopian state media, as well as officials and diplomats from both countries, met in May to promote cooperation between the two countries and launched 'China Hour,' a selection of Chinese TV shows, documentaries and cartoons to be broadcast on Ethiopian state television. 'It was an opportunity and [China] had to latch on to it,' said Emeka Umejei, a senior research associate in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Johannesburg. U.S. priorities compared with China's in two Nigerian broadcasts Congress set up Voice of America to provide accurate and objective reporting around the world, including about U.S. policies, and gave it independence from political oversight to enhance its credibility. Conservatives have long complained that this reduced its value as a foreign-policy tool and led to anti-American sentiment in its broadcasts. In a statement, Lake said 'The Chinese Communist Party is deeply unhappy that President Trump is determined to improve how the U.S. does its international broadcasting,' adding that she believed Voice of America was putting out thousands of hours of outdated content that was 'often anti-American and doesn't align with America's foreign policy.' After the March cuts, the former chief editor of Chinese government-backed Global Times, Hu Xijin, described the paralysis of VOA as gratifying. 'The Chinese people are happy to see the U.S. anti-China ideological fortress breached from within,' he said on social media. China's foreign ministry spokeswoman said that she wouldn't comment on U.S. domestic policies but that the media outlets' 'blemished track record on China coverage is hardly a secret.' In some cases, the U.S. pullback has meant cutting off hard-won broadcast abilities that had taken years to establish into some of the most closed societies, including North Korea and Iran, that allowed listeners to hear a U.S. perspective. Kari Lake, the official overseeing the U.S. Agency for Global Media's retrenchment, accused it at a hearing last month of being incompetent, politically biased and itself a national-security threat. In North Korea, the U.S. was broadcasting on television through a South Korean government signal. On the final broadcast on March 15, an anchor moderated a segment that included a panelist from the conservative Heritage Foundation to talk about the U.S.-South Korea relationship and threats posed by China. It also shut down 10 hours of nightly radio programming that were being broadcast into much of North Korea through a signal hosted by Christian broadcaster Far East Broadcasting Company, or FEBC in South Korea. The network has told officials it has gotten outreach from other broadcasters interested in the hours, but was holding on to them in hopes that the U.S. would return, according to people familiar with the message. While it is illegal in North Korea to listen to outside stations, a 2023 U.S. survey of North Korean defectors, refugees and travelers found that some of them had regularly listened to Voice of America and Radio Free Asia programming. In China, too, Voice of America had an audience, said Robert Daly, who until April was the director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center. On a recent trip to China, Daly said he was surprised by how many think tank leaders, university students and professors mentioned they had watched a discussion he had conducted in Mandarin on a Voice of America program with Miles Yu, a China policy adviser to Trump's former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. By halting VOA broadcasts, Daly said, 'we're giving up on having an impact on public opinion in China.' Independent reviews in 2023 and 2024 of Voice of America's Russian, Chinese and Persian services identified some journalistic shortfalls, according to copies of the reports reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The Chinese service, for example, had inappropriately used a staged video, and could use more context in stories, that report said. But all three reports concluded that the services were generally fair and accurate. The Persian service provided almost equal time, for example, to then-President Biden's efforts to revive a nuclear deal with Iran and to Republican criticism of it, that report said. Voice of America was created by the U.S. government in 1942 to push back on Nazi messaging during World War II, broadcasting its first message in German: 'The news may be good or bad; we shall tell you the truth.' Its role expanded during the Cold War, when it worked to counter the spread of Communism. Until recently, VOA was transmitting news and information in more than 100 countries in 49 languages. In April, a federal judge ordered Voice of America to restore some of its programming to fulfill its mandate to 'serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news,' and the service reinstated some Persian news programming in the aftermath of the Israeli airstrikes on Iran. Trump's budget for next year proposes eliminating the agency entirely, and provides funds only for its shutdown. Congressional Republicans have supported trimming funding for the agency, but some said they are working to create a smaller outfit that can maintain the U.S. role in spreading accurate information abroad. 'It is absolutely true that it has become bloated,' said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R., Fla.), who leads the House Appropriations panel on national security and the State Department that funds the agency. Still, he said, 'it can be very, very useful and a very, very important tool of our national interest.' Write to Aruna Viswanatha at Alexandra Wexler at and Clarence Leong at
Gulf Insider
07-07-2025
- Gulf Insider
58 Visa-Free Destinations For Indian Passport Holders This Summer
Looking to travel this summer as an Indian passport holder? Good news, Indian travelers can visit up to 58 destinations visa-free. The top destinations are placed throughout Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands. Aside from these destinations, many countries also offer additional options for streamlined travel requirements, such as e-visas or electronic travel authorities. On a global-scale, India's passport ranks at 82. Such ranks are typically based on factors like freedom of movement and travel for nationals. Here's the full list of countries Indian passport holders can travel visa-free to, according to Henley & Partners: Angola Barbados Bhutan Bolivia (VOA) British Virgin Islands Burundi (VOA) Cambodia (VOA) Cape Verde Islands (VOA) Comoro Islands (VOA) Cook Islands Djibouti (VOA) Dominica Ethiopia (VOA) Fiji Grenada Guinea-Bissau (VOA) Haiti Indonesia (VOA) Iran Jamaica Jordan (VOA) Kazakhstan Kenya (ETA) Kiribati Laos (VOA) Macao (SAR China) Madagascar Malaysia Maldives (VOA) Marshall Islands (VOA) Mauritius Micronesia Mongolia (VOA) Montserrat Mozambique (VOA) Myanmar (VOA) Namibia (VOA) Nepal Niue Palau Islands (VOA) Qatar (VOA) Rwanda Samoa (VOA) Senegal Seychelles (ETA) Sierra Leona (VOA) Somalia (VOA) Sri Lanka (VOA) St. Kitts and Nevis (ETA) St. Lucia (VOA) St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tanzania (VOA) Thailand Timor-Leste (VOA) Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu (VOA) Vanuatu Zimbabwe (VOA) Each country has their own set of designated entry restrictions for incoming passengers. Overall, the main distinction between visa requirements tends to be the demand for some sort of pre-departure approval. While specific instructions may vary, countries typically follow one of the five following visa policies: 1. Visa-free Any destination designated as 'visa-free' requires no visa or paperwork required to enter the country. Normally, only a valid passport is required. 2. Visa required Passengers wishing to travel to such a destination must obtain a visa prior to visiting. This is process typically conducted in-person, at the closest embassies or consulates of the respective country. Often times, visa appointments are necessary and long-wait times are expected, thus travelers are advised to plan in advance. 3. Visa on arrival (VOA) A visa on arrival (or VOA) destination indicates that while a legal visa is required to enter the country, passengers can obtain a visa once arriving at the destination. Thus, this means that no visa permissions or paperwork filing prior to travel are necessary. The process is often completed at the immigration and border control of the respective destination, and airports will often dedicate a section for this process. 4. E-visa As the name suggests, e-visas mean that while visas are required for these destinations, the process is completed online and the final visa is electronic. The option offers greater flexibility for prospective passengers. 5. Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) While countries with an ETA distinction do not demand passengers to obtain a visa before traveling, a separate travel authentication process is required. The process tends to be faster and simpler than traditional visa applications, making travel to these destinations much easier. However, it is important to note that ETAs may typically be designed for short-term stays, in comparison to some visa durations.
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.
