USAGM Watch Commentary
Ted Lipien, a former Voice of America (VOA) broadcaster, reporter, editor, and executive, wrote in an op-ed in The Hill that Kari Lake must maintain public neutrality on contentious political matters while restoring the Voice of America’s (VOA) editorial independence and professional ethics. She faces a significant challenge in correcting ideological bias and management issues. Above all, she must uphold the VOA Charter, which is U.S. law, Lipien stressed in his opinion article. She also needs approval from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB). Lipien noted that Michael Abramowitz, the recently appointed VOA director who successfully headed the human rights NGO Freedom House, has at least brought some measure of competence and civility back to VOA.
To set an example, Lake must remain publicly neutral on controversial domestic political issues. Her job is not to be the president’s spokesperson but to restore VOA’s editorial independence and adherence to the highest professional standards and ethics of journalism.
We will see whether Lake can resist attempting to move VOA from one extreme to another — whether she is the person who can restore the nonpartisan professionalism that its parent agency’s current leadership has destroyed.
By statute, the bipartisan International Broadcasting Advisory Board has to approve Lake by a majority vote.
