Security – BBG and USAGM Watch

4 minute read

Voice of America Ignored for 3 Days House Foreign Affairs Committee Report Alleging ‘Culture of Corruption’ Allowed by Senior USAGM Executives

June 14, 2024

USAGM Watch Commentary Several former Voice of America (VOA) senior reporters and managers, who retired several years ago…

Voice of America bans calling Hamas terrorists illustration by Linas Garsys / The Washington Times

2 minute read

Why I can’t be silent when Voice of America bans calling Hamas ‘terrorists’ | Washington Times op-ed by Ted Lipien

November 22, 2023

I cannot remain silent because those who refuse to expose terrorism or delay condemning it today will find…

1 minute read

VOA’s Russian influence crisis calls for congressional intervention | The Hill op-ed

June 6, 2023

USAGM Watch Media Commentary

3 minute read

RFE/RL Issues Vague Denial of Offering Job to Pro-Crimea Annexation Journalist EXCLUSIVE

March 31, 2023

USAGM Watch Media COMMENTARY Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) , which is journalistically independent but is overseen by…

3 minute read

Voice of America and USAGM Management Still Needs to Explain Censorship of VOA Vietnamese Video (Now Restored) and Apologize

December 11, 2022

Censorship by the Voice of America management of the VOA Vietnamese Service video, which has now been restored…

4 minute read

Politico Blasts USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett’s Predecessor Michael Pack, Overlooks Her Record at VOA

November 15, 2022

In highlighting its interview with USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett, Politico blasted her short-time predecessor Michael Pack. Politico did…

19 minute read

HISTORY Flora Wovschin — Codename ZORA — Was The Most Active Soviet Spy But Not The Most Valuable Agent of Influence at WWII Voice of America

November 9, 2022

USAGM Watch Commentary By Ted Lipien Following reports that due to multiple security violations the Office of Personnel…

3 minute read

Voice of America reports on detention of its freelance journalist accused of spying for Russia; VOA freelancer denies espionage charges

October 27, 2022

USAGM Watch Commentary The U.S. government-funded Voice of America (VOA) has a new report about the detention in…

Image included in a 2022 message to staff from VOA Acting Director Yolanda Lopez.

10 minute read

USAGM: Why the Latest OIG Report Matters

October 15, 2022

Commentary By Dan Robinson Inspector General reports likely don’t rank high on anyone’s list of favorite reading material,…

6 minute read

Miracle Explanation of VOA’s Afghanistan Disaster

August 26, 2022

Voice of America (VOA) Acting Director Yolanda López‘s miracle explanation of the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s (USAGM)…

Afghanistan Image Brian Williamson VOA News Screen Shot 2021-08-20 at 4.59.56 PM

4 minute read

U.S. Agency for Global Media – The Absurd, The Surreal USAGM

July 29, 2022

The Absurd, The Surreal USAGM The surreal USAGM – U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Voice of America (VOA)…

11 minute read

Voice of America and USAGM Need Rescue

July 9, 2022

Voice of America and USAGM need rescue and good leadership as the U.S. Senate contemplates the nomination of…

2 minute read

Four Republican Members of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Voted Against Nomination of Amanda Bennett for USAGM CEO

June 28, 2022

Jimmy Quinn, national security correspondent for National Review, reported that four Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations…

Amanda Bennett being sworn as VOA Director by Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) CEO John Lansing, April 18, 2016. Kelu Chao, a longtime VOA senior executive and later acting CEO of USAGM (BBG's name since 2018) is also in the photo.

8 minute read

The Worst Is On The Horizon For USAGM

June 14, 2022

USAGM Commentary By The Federalist US Agency for Global Mayhem: The Worst Is On The Horizon The Biden…

Voice of America VOA propaganda video from Russia on reopening of a former McDonald's restaurant, June 12 2022.

5 minute read

Former Voice of America Reporters Shocked by VOA Propaganda Video from Russia

June 13, 2022

Some call it a VOA propaganda video from Russia. USAGM Watch Commentary Raw video footage from the reopening…

5 minute read

McCaul Calls for Additional Scrutiny of USAGM CEO Nominee Amanda Bennett

June 9, 2022

McCaul Calls for Additional Scrutiny of USAGM CEO Nominee Press Release 06.09.22 Media Contact 202-225-5021 Washington, D.C. – House Foreign Affairs…

Amanda Bennett at the Senate Foreign Relations hearing, June 7, 2022, to discuss her nomination for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO position.

2 minute read

Senator Menendez Hints At Tough Questions for Amanda Bennett About USAGM Job

June 8, 2022

Amanda Bennett is likely to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate for the position of the CEO of…

VOA Director Amanda Bennett holding a USAGM umbrella for a publicity photo. In 2018, the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency in charge of VOA, changed its name to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). President Biden nominated Bennett to be USAGM CEO and she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in a 60-36 vote. She faces accusations of mismanagement and security lapses in her previous U.S. government position as the Voice of America (VOA) director.

6 minute read

Mismanagement Charges Against USAGM CEO Nominee Amanda Bennett

June 6, 2022

Former Voice of America director Amanda Bennett, a nominee for U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO position,…

2 minute read

Rep. Scott Perry: VOA Misallocates Funds and Suppresses Negative Stories About Iran

May 13, 2022

Voice of America – VOA misallocates funds, said Rep. Scott Perry (R., Pa.) who accused VOA and U.S.…

VOA Photo: At the UNESCO conference, a panel moderated by Jessica Jerreat, VOA Press Freedom Editor (Center) with Acting VOA Director Yolanda López (R) delivering the keynote as scholars presented new research.

10 minute read

Voice of America Refuses to Disclose Review of Deleted Work by Former VOA Freelance Reporter Questioned in Ukraine and Arrested in Poland for Alleged Spying for Russia

May 10, 2022

Voice of America refuses requests to disclose the results of its review of VOA news reports by its…

Sanford “Sandy” Ungar, a journalist, author, and educator, served as the 24th Director of the Voice of America. Prior to becoming VOA Director, Ungar served as Dean of the School of Communication at American University and had an extensive and varied career as an international journalist. He has worked at Foreign Policy magazine, The Washington Post, The Atlantic magazine, UPI, Newsweek magazine, and NPR. After leaving VOA, Ungar was president of Goucher College in Towson, Maryland from 2001 to 2014. In spring 2015 Ungar joined Georgetown University, where he is director of The Free Speech Project.

5 minute read

Asking About Voice of America’s Stalin Peace Prize Winner May Be McCarthyism or Merely Amusing, Former VOA Director Said

April 11, 2022

Former Voice of America (VOA) director Sanford J. Ungar, who served under President Clinton from 1999 to 2001, said…

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Afganistan pinned on World atlas, close up view. Red map location pointer on globe planet Earth. 3d illustration.

5 minute read

The Voice of America Fantasyland in Afghanistan

March 29, 2022

The U.S. Agency for Global Media presents the Voice of America Fantasyland in the VOA Acting Director’s statement…

In 2013, the then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Congress that the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was "practically defunct" in its capacity to tell America's message around the world. Since then, what is now the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the Voice of America (VOA) have become even more dysfunctional and poorly managed.

2 minute read

U. S. Agency for Global Media USAGM and Ukraine

March 20, 2022

The U.S. Agency for Global Media still shows a press release about its poll in the Russian-occupied part…

2 minute read

Comment on WP Article on USAGM Journalists Left Behind in Afghanistan

September 1, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary The Washington Post has an opinion article about the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)…

2 minute read

McCaul: “Disgraceful” State Dept. Left Hundreds of USAGM Journalists in Afghanistan

September 1, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary USAGM Watch applauds the statement by House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul about…

4 minute read

When The Best USAGM Leaders Can Do Is Sheer Incompetence

August 31, 2021

US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the Voice of America (VOA) leaders in the $800 million federal…

6 minute read

Cut and Run and Chaos – The USAGM Contribution to the Afghan Failure

August 26, 2021

The USAGM contribution to the Afghan failure has been presided by U.S. Agency for Global Media and Voice…

7 minute read

As Terrorists Kill Family Member of DW Journalist, VOA Offers Optimistic Taliban-Focused News from Afghanistan – Example II

August 20, 2021

Voice of America – VOA offers largely optimistic Taliban-focused news from Afghanistan meant to reassure the Afghans, particularly…

7 minute read

As Taliban Kills Family Member of DW Journalist, VOA Offers Optimistic News from Afghanistan – Example I

August 20, 2021

Voice of America – VOA offers largely optimistic Taliban-focused news from Afghanistan meant to reassure the Afghans, particularly…

19 minute read

USAGM or US Agency for Global Mayhem

August 19, 2021

USAGM or US Agency for Global Mayhem: Cut, Run and Lost Credibility A Commentary By The Federalist “In…

5 minute read

Voice of America Messaging for Taliban Endangers Afghan Women

August 17, 2021

Voice of America messaging for the Taliban is a result of poor leadership at the U.S. Agency for…

3 minute read

USAGM and VOA Chiefs on Security of Staff in Afghanistan, Ali A. Jalali Dismisses Fake News | EXCLUSIVE

August 16, 2021

Ali Ahmad Jalali, former Interior Minister of Afghanistan from 2003 to 2005 and former Voice of America (VOA)…

9 minute read

Longtime Execs at Low Employee Morale USAGM Against Former Short-Time CEO

July 21, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary USAGM Watch offers a selection of links to media articles and official U.S. government documents…

2 minute read

Biden can combat foreign propaganda by reforming Voice of America

June 30, 2021

OPINION An op-ed in The Washington Examiner by a co-founder and supporter of USAGM Watch was written in…

5 minute read

U.S. Agency for Global Media – Here We Go Again

June 22, 2021

OPINION U.S. Agency for Global Media…Here We Go Again By The Federalist If there is one thing the…

6 minute read

USAGM Officials Selling Snake Oil to Employees, Taxpayers, Congress and Media

June 6, 2021

OPINION By The Federalist Longtime U.S. Agency for Global Media Officials… Selling The Snake Oil The ongoing comedy…

10 minute read

Voice of America Fails to Post Story on Phishing Attack Against VOA Employees and Private Citizens

May 5, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary The story of a December 2020 phishing attack on the U.S. Agency for Global Media…

9 minute read

U.S. Agency for Global Media Notified Employees of Personal Information Security Breach Four Months After It Occurred

May 2, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary Former Voice of America senior White House correspondent Dan Robinson who has written occasional commentaries…

8 minute read

Catching Up on USAGM: Biden’s U.S. Agency for Global Media Head Reinstates Executives Suspended by Michael Pack, Criticizes Him and His Appointees

April 17, 2021

USAGM Watch Commentary The Hill and other U.S. media reported in late February 2021 that five individuals, described in…

5 minute read

Exposing’Rot’ at USAGM May Be More Likely in Liberal Media with Trump Out and Biden In

November 9, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary Liberal U.S. media outlets, or if one prefers to call them left-leaning, were reluctant to…

11 minute read

Biden Ignored VOA and RFE/RL in His Article on Russian Propaganda, Needs to Reform USAGM

November 8, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary While President-Elect Joe Biden has been a strong longtime supporter of U.S. international broadcasting, especially…

8 minute read

Rep. Scott Perry Criticized USAGM and OTF for Mismanagement and Security Breaches

September 30, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary The House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing On September 24, 2020 to examine the…

8 minute read

Harsh Condemnations of Michael Pack at Hearing on USAGM and Voice of America

September 24, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat who has lost a…

40 minute read

HISTORY WWII Voice of America Communist Propaganda to Yugoslavia

September 14, 2020

Ted Lipien for Cold War Radio Museum Thanks to several lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, the U.S. Congress…

9 minute read

USAGM CEO Blames Former Agency and Voice of America Heads for Massive Security Breaches

September 11, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary Michael Pack, Trump-appointed CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), was interviewed by…

3 minute read

EXCLUSIVE SIDEBAR: VOA Broadcast Managers Had Access to Classified State Department Material

September 1, 2020

OPINION By Dan Robinson For many years, Voice of America broadcast managers had access to classified State Department…

8 minute read

Questions About 14 Voice of America Journalists Who Protest Against Pack

September 1, 2020

OPINION By Dan Robinson Murky History of Access to Classified Information by VOA Managers, Reporters A protest now…

1 minute read

How Voice of America lost control of its website to obscene Russian trolls for eight years

August 26, 2020

OPINION “How Voice of America lost control of its website to obscene Russian trolls for eight years” by…

2 minute read

Media Expose Hidden Voice of America and USAGM Scandals

August 25, 2020

USAGM Watch Commentary Mainstream U.S. media, for now mostly conservative outlets, reporters and commentators, are beginning to focus…

8 minute read

Some VOA Newsroom Employees Complain About USAGM Release of OPM Report on Security Breaches

August 19, 2020

OPINION By Dan Robinson Report Detailed Violations in Background Investigation Procedures That USAGM CEO Michael Pack Says Placed…