[President-elect Donald Trump has announced that he intends to appoint Kari Lake, a former local TV anchor and critic of the US media, as the next director of the Voice of America (VOA), an international news broadcaster funded by the US government. Trump’s announcement has sparked concern among VOA employees, who are worried that Lake’s appointment could compromise the agency’s independence and commitment to objective, fact-based reporting.
VOA is a significant institution that produces award-winning journalism and promotes democratic values around the world. The US government has historically portrayed VOA as a counterweight to foreign propaganda and a model for free, fair, and unbiased news coverage. As such, VOA has a “firewall” in place to prohibit interference by any US government official in the objective, independent reporting of news.
However, Trump’s move is seen as a power play, with some fearing that Lake’s appointment could compromise the agency’s editorial independence and mission. Lake, who has a history of criticizing the US media, has been a strong supporter of Trump and has shown little interest in the principles of good journalism.
The process of appointing a new VOA director is complex and involves multiple stakeholders, including the US Agency for Global Media, which runs VOA and other networks, and the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, a bipartisan group that works with the CEO of the agency. The board’s composition is designed to provide some measure of independence to the broadcasters, with a majority vote required to appoint or remove the head of VOA.
If Trump’s announcement is just a suggestion, it is one that has sparked fear and concern among VOA employees. They hope that the agency’s “guardrails” will hold and that the process will ensure a fair and transparent appointment process. Ultimately, the success of VOA depends on its ability to produce high-quality journalism that is unbiased, accurate, and comprehensive, and its commitment to the principles of free expression and democratic values.
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