U.S. global media chief presses ahead with changes despite flak
WASHINGTON — Despite a barrage of criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, the new chief of U.S. global media is moving ahead with changes to the Voice of America and other international broadcasters that are heightening concerns about their future as independent news organizations.
Although Agency for Global Media chief executive Michael Pack has assured Congress that VOA and its sister networks will remain independent and pledged he would consult lawmakers on significant developments, last week he initiated personnel changes and began a review of visas for foreign employees.
Pack on Wednesday fired the executive editor of Radio Free Asia, Bay Fang, whom he had demoted from president shortly after assuming office last month. A day earlier, Pack installed a South Carolina politician to run the Open Technology Fund, which works to provide secure internet access to people around the world.
In addition, Pack launched a case-by-case review of visas for foreign agency employees, many of whom bring critical language skills needed to communicate with the foreign populations that are the primary audiences for the agency’s broadcasts. Although the review is not complete and no visa actions have yet been taken, some believe the review itself sends a chilling message to journalists.
As those moves were happening, the agency on Thursday publicly boasted of removing the Iranian and North Korean flags from a display at its Washington headquarters, prompting questions about the priorities of its new leadership amid rising tensions between the U.S. and China and disputes over how to handle the coronavirus pandemic.
“As of today, the flags of regimes hostile to America no longer fly in the halls USAGMgov, the taxpayer-funded home of U.S. international broadcasting,” the agency’s public relations bureau tweeted. The post included before and after photos of the flag display and the hashtags: “#America” “#freedom” and “#SpotTheDifference.”
Pack, a conservative filmmaker and associate of former political adviser to President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, has defended the moves as necessary to reforming the agency, which critics have long said is beset by bureaucratic and journalistic issues. That criticism exploded earlier this year when the White House attacked VOA for its coverage of covid-19.
Democrats and some Republicans have demanded explanations for his abrupt dismissal of the heads of Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Open Technology Fund.
On July 1, seven U.S. senators, including four Republicans who voted for his nomination, sent a letter to Pack expressing concern about the dismissals and possible politicization of the agency. “These actions, which came without any consultation with Congress, let alone notification, raise serious questions about the future of USAGM under your leadership,” they wrote.
Pack did not respond to the letter from the senators until a week later, when he sent a polite but firm reply that said he was only doing what he had been hired to do.
“The president, the American people, and the Senate asked me to make bold and meaningful changes,” he wrote in his July 8 response, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. “Indeed, throughout the confirmation process, and in the weeks since taking the helm, I made clear my commitment to fixing the widely-known management issues that have long beleaguered USAGM and, in turn, its institutions.”