BBG Watch Commentary on USAGM
“Additionally, in the aggregate, reportage on bilateral relations between the U.S. government and the Iranian regime conveyed an impression of equivalence between the parties, a position that is both surprising and improper for broadcasting that is funded by the U.S. government. It is also deeply misleading, insofar as it conflates the Iranian regime with the Iranian people, whereas the U.S. government opposes the former while supporting the latter.”
AFCP
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY COUNCIL U.S. PERSIAN MEDIA STUDY
Final Synthesis Report
October 6, 2017
Incredibly, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) — now the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) but still under the same senior management as before of BBG CEO, now USAGM CEO John F. Lansing, Voice of America (VOA) Director Amanda Bennett and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President Thomas Kent [in charge of Radio Farda; Kent announced that he plans to leave RFE/RL in September] — said in a in a public statement that the the American Foreign Policy Council 2017 Study of BBG’s Persian-Language Broadcasting “did not find any systematic bias in VOA and RFE/RL content.”
The BBG statement that the study “did not find any systematic bias in VOA and RFE/RL content” is simply untrue with regard to Voice of America [VOA Persian Service] and Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty [RFE/RL Radio Farda] Iran coverage.
In fact, the AFCP study concluded:
“This dynamic, on the whole, perpetuated to audiences the appearance of pro-regime propaganda, rather than objective reporting, on the part of both the VOA and Farda.”
AFCP
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY COUNCIL U.S. PERSIAN MEDIA STUDY
Final Synthesis Report
October 6, 2017
