3PM VOA radio newscast refers to AM Obama-Dalai Lama meeting as if it is still taking place, no mention of hours old White House Ukraine reaction

BBG Watch Commentary

The Voice of America (VOA) not only does not frequently update its online news reports posted in text form, it also does not update its radio newscasts, which are also accessible online, even when the White House reacts to major news developments in Ukraine and President Obama meets with the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama and issues a statement afterwards.

While Russia’s broadcaster Voice of Russia (VOR) had posted a full report on the White House reaction to the compromise deal reached in Ukraine, the VOA English news website had nothing on it for a few hours after the White House issued its statement. At around 3 PM EST Friday, a short paragraph about the White House statement was finally inserted in an old VOA news report without highlighting it anyway or changing its headline to reflect that it included the White House reaction.

But even after making this late change that most VOA site visitors would not notice, the VOA English radio newscast at 3PM still had nothing on the latest White House about the recent developments in Ukraine. Most of the information on Ukraine in the 3PM VOA radio newscast was literally at least 12 hours old.

The 3PM EST VOA radio newscast also did not mention President Obama’s Friday call to President Putin to discuss Ukraine.

The 3PM VOA newscast also refers to the Obama-Dalai Lama meeting at the White House in the present tense as if it were still taking place, even though the meeting was over hours before.

The meeting took place in the White House the morning Washington time while the VOA newscast originated at 3PM EST. The White House website had a readout on the Obama-Dalai Lama meeting a few hours earlier, but none of this information was included in the VOA radio newscast. The statement on Ukraine was also available from the White House website hours before VOA’s 3PM EST Friday radio newscast.

Voice of America also did not report on Vice President Biden’s phone call Thursday with Ukraine’s President Victor Yanukovych.

VOA also did not report on Vice President Biden’s phone call with Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk. That call on Thursday also dealt with the situation in Ukraine. Poland’s foreign minister, Radoslaw Sikorski, was among EU representatives negotiating Thursday with President Yanukovych and leaders of the Ukrainian opposition in Kyiv. As these negotiations were taking place Thursday evening and Friday morning, Voice of America radio newscasts and its online report on Ukraine were not being updated for many hours while other major international media outlets constantly updated their reports.  Deutsche Welle and BBC reported last night on the Biden-Yanukovych phone call while Voice of America did not.

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Readout of the President’s Meeting with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama

The President met this morning at the White House with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama.  The President reiterated his strong support for the preservation of Tibet’s unique religious, cultural, and linguistic traditions and the protection of human rights for Tibetans in the People’s Republic of China.  The President commended the Dalai Lama’s commitment to peace and nonviolence and expressed support for the Dalai Lama’s “Middle Way” approach.  The President stressed that he encourages direct dialogue to resolve long-standing differences and that a dialogue that produces results would be positive for China and Tibetans. In this context, the President reiterated the U.S. position that Tibet is part of the People’s Republic of China and that the United States does not support Tibet independence. The Dalai Lama stated that he is not seeking independence for Tibet and hopes that dialogue between his representatives and the Chinese government will resume.  The President and the Dalai Lama agreed on the importance of a positive and constructive relationship between the United States and China.

A link to the photo can be found HERE.

Statement by the Press Secretary on Ukraine

The United States welcomes the agreement signed today between Ukrainian President Yanukovych and Opposition leaders.  The agreement, facilitated by Foreign Ministers Fabius, Sikorski, and Steinmeier and witnessed by Russia, is consistent with what we have advocated in calling for a de-escalation of the violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections.  We support the efforts of all those who negotiated this agreement, commend the courageous opposition leaders who recognized the need for compromise, and offer the support of the United States in its implementation.  Now, the focus must be on concrete action to implement this agreement, which we will be monitoring closely.

In this regard, we call for immediate implementation of the initial steps — an end to the violence, amnesty and security normalization, and passage of the constitutional package in the Rada — to provide space for the negotiations to begin on formation of a technocratic coalition government.  Respect for the right of peaceful protest –- including on the Maidan –- is essential.  As we have said, there must be accountability for those responsible for the violence and the casualties that have resulted since the crisis began, and we remain prepared to impose additional sanctions as necessary.  The United States stands with the Ukrainian people as they work to restore peace, security, and human dignity across the country and determine the future course of their nation.

Readout of Vice President Biden’s Call with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych

The Vice President and President Yanukovych spoke by telephone this afternoon. The Vice President strongly condemned the violence against civilians in Kyiv. He called upon President Yanukovych to immediately pull back all security forces – police, snipers, military and paramilitary units, and irregular forces. The Vice President made clear that the United States is prepared to sanction those officials responsible for the violence. The Vice President urged President Yanukovych to take immediate and tangible steps to work with the opposition on a path forward that addresses the legitimate aspirations of the Ukrainian people. The Vice President underscored that the United States supports an independent, democratic Ukraine that pursues the future its people choose.

Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Prime Minister Tusk of Poland

Vice President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Tusk by phone today to consult on the situation in Ukraine. They discussed steps the United States, Poland, and the European Union are taking to support an end to the violence and a political solution that is in the best interests of the Ukrainian people. The Vice President and Prime Minister agreed to stay in close touch in the days ahead.