BBG Watch Commentary
Voice of America English news website ignored today’s news of the death of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Poland’s first post-communist prime minister. VOA did, however, post a news report from Reuters on Tito’s widow, First Lady of communist Yugoslavia, receiving state funeral. The VOA – Reuters story on the funeral of the widow of Yugoslavia’s communist ruler showed 2 Facebook “Likes” as of Monday afternoon. The Reuters report on the VOA website had no references to U.S.-Yugoslav relations during Tito’s rule. Reuters is a British-based news agency.
Two recent Reuters reports on Jovanka Broz posted on the VOA website discussed Yugoslavia’s Cold War history and the later breakup of Yugoslavia but without any mention of the United States.
BBC reported extensively on Mazowiecki’s death. The BBC story, “Poland’s former PM Tadeusz Mazowiecki dies aged 86,” had hundreds of Facebook “Likes” as of Monday afternoon.
BBG Watch is not suggesting that the death and the funeral of Jovanka Broz should not have been reported by VOA, but VOA should have posted its own news report with some focus on U.S.-Yugoslav relations. VOA, of course, should have reported on Mazowiecki’s death.
