Trump selects Kari Lake to lead Voice of America: NPR

President-elect Donald Trump says local TV news anchor turned MAGA politician Kali Lake will lead the federally funded broadcast station Voice of America.

If successful, the move would put a loyalist at the helm of a news organization that Trump had been trying to seize power under someone he appointed in the final year of his first term. Trump officials sought to strip the independence of the network and its parent agency during the president’s first term, including actions that were later found to be illegal and, in some cases, unconstitutional.

However, President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally establish a lake. Recruitment relies on a bipartisan board of directors reporting to the parent company’s chief executive officer.

Funded by Congress, Voice of America (VOA) operates in nearly 50 languages ​​and reaches an estimated 354 million people each week around the world. It is part of the U.S. Global Media Agency, the government agency that oversees all non-military U.S. international broadcasts.

President Trump said Wednesday on Truth Social that Lake will be appointed by and will work closely with the next secretary, who will be announced “soon.”

Freedom of the press is central to VOA’s mission. It aims to bring a free press to areas where it doesn’t exist and to present political debate and dissent in the United States, even when it reflects critically of the regime.

In spring 2020, President Trump’s White House took the unprecedented step of publicly attacking VOA in a public statement for allegedly not explicitly blaming the Chinese government for the pandemic.

On Wednesday, President Trump said Lake and the heads of yet-to-be-named government agencies would “ensure that American values ​​of liberty and liberty are fairly and accurately conveyed to the world, unlike the lies spread by the fake news media.” “I will do it,” he wrote.

Lake ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona Senate this year and for governor in 2022, but has denied her election losses (both hers and President Trump’s in 2020) and lashed out at the mainstream media. He increased his political reputation. It used to be a part of it.

She left her job at the Phoenix-Fox affiliate in 2021 after more than 20 years of service, following a series of controversies that included sharing misinformation about the coronavirus during the pandemic.

In his speech at the Republican National Convention this summer, Lake denounced “fake news” and said, “For the past eight years, we have been telling lies about President Donald Trump and his amazingly patriotic supporters.” “The news has worn out its welcome.”

Lake said Wednesday that he looked forward to the start of VOA, calling it “an important international media outlet dedicated to advancing the interests of the United States by engaging directly with people around the world and promoting democracy and truth.” He said he is doing so.

“Under my leadership, VOA will excel in its mission of chronicling America’s achievements around the world,” Lake tweeted.

However, this is not the organization’s stated mission itself. The company says on its website that it is “committed to comprehensive news coverage and telling our viewers the truth.”

What is Voice of America?

VOA was founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda in Germany.

“We bring you a voice from America,” announcer William Harlan Hale said during the first German-language program. “Today, and every day from now on, we will tell you about America and the war. The news may be good for us, or it may be bad. But we will tell you the truth. I will tell you.”

By the end of World War II, it was broadcasting 3,200 weekly programs in 40 languages, introducing America to the world and modeling freedom of the press.

VOA was able to continue operating and even expand during the Cold War. When the U.S. Information Agency was established in 1953, VOA became its largest component.

Today, more than 2,000 employees produce radio, digital and television content that is distributed by satellite, cable, FM, MW and a network of approximately 3,500 affiliate stations.

VOA bills itself as the largest international broadcaster in the United States. Others include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and Radio Martí.

Is VOA editorially independent?

From the beginning, government officials argued that VOA should strike a balance between reporting news and promoting U.S. foreign policy. Over the years, broadcasters have taken several practical and policy steps to protect their editorial independence.

In the late 1950s, VOA employees drafted a formal statement of principles for protecting the editorial integrity of broadcasting, which became the official VOA Charter in 1960. President Gerald Ford signed it into law in 1976.

There are three main guidelines. VOA News is to be “accurate, objective, and comprehensive.” It “represents America, not just part of American society,” and covers not only American policy, but also “responsible discussion and opinion” about it.

Going a step further, the U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994 created a “firewall” in U.S. law that prohibits U.S. government officials from interfering with objective, independent news reporting.

“The firewall allows VOA to make final decisions about which stories are covered and how,” the station said.

As NPR reported, this firewall came under threat during the first Trump administration.

What happened to VOA during President Trump’s first term?

Even though VOA is owned by the federal government, the White House singled it out as a target for attack during the first Trump administration, particularly at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in spring 2020.

The White House accused the station of amplifying Beijing’s propaganda about Beijing’s efforts to contain the virus, a charge the White House denied.

It was in this context that the Republican-led Senate finally confirmed conservative filmmaker Michael Pack to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media, two years after President Trump first nominated him. It happened at

Mr. Pack’s arrival caused an uproar at VOA even before he arrived. Two senior officials resigned as soon as Mr. Pack’s arrival was confirmed.

Further stoking fears of political interference, Mr. Pack quickly stripped most of the station’s senior leadership and redirected government-backed groups such as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. The person in charge of the broadcast network for foreign viewers was fired.

“My real job is to drain the swamp, root out corruption, and address issues of bias, not to tell journalists what to report,” Pack said at the time, a pro-Trump president. He told the website The Federalist.

During his seven-month tenure at VOA’s parent agency, Pack removed several controversial articles from its website, ranging from personnel changes such as reassigning VOA leaders and refusing to extend work visas to foreign employees. It faced multiple accusations of interference in its processes, ranging from editorial decisions such as After publication.

Under Pack’s leadership, the station also investigated one of its own VOA White House reporters for suspected anti-Trump bias, aimed at ensuring editorial independence from partisan interference. Firewall canceled.

A formal federal investigation alleges that Mr. Pack engaged in a “waste or gross waste of government resources” by paying a private company $1.6 million to investigate government officials he believed were not loyal enough. (They were ultimately acquitted). Such work is typically performed by government lawyers.

The Biden administration quickly fired several Trump supporters from the U.S. Agency for Global Media and VOA itself after taking office in 2021. A federal investigation released in 2023 found that Pack had repeatedly committed abuses of power and gross mismanagement. Violating the independence of journalists. A federal judge found that Mr. Pack violated constitutional free speech protections for the network’s journalists.

Is Mr. Lake’s leadership secure?

The turmoil of the Pack era led to parliamentary reforms, most notably the creation of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB).

IBAB is an independent federal agency comprised of seven members, six media and international affairs experts appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and the Secretary of State. No more than three persons appointed by the President may come from the same political party.

The Senate confirmed six new members last December.

The Board’s stated mission is to ensure editorial independence and increase the impact of the work carried out by the U.S. Agency for Global Media. It also plays a role in the appointment and removal of heads of government agencies.

According to its bylaws, VOA and other administrators “may be appointed or removed only upon approval of such action by the Board of Directors.”

Notably, VOA hired a new director in June, Michael Abramowitz, a former Freedom House president and longtime Washington Post reporter and editor.

“As I have said many times, I welcome a smooth transition of power at both USAGM and VOA,” Abramowitz wrote in an email to staff Thursday. “I intend to cooperate with the new administration and follow the process established by Congress for the appointment of VOA Directors.”

It is unclear when or if a board meeting will be held to decide on Mr. Abramowitz’s replacement. President Trump has not yet said who he intends to nominate to head parent company U.S. Global Media Agency, but the position requires Senate confirmation.

The board has not yet responded to NPR’s request for comment.