BBG – USAGM Media Commentary
An article in The Daily Caller from reporter Shelby Talcott reveals that a Voice of America (VOA) senior-level editor whose promotion was reportedly announced to staff earlier this year in a highly congratulatory e-mail from VOA Director Amanda Bennett “likely has a Facebook page littered with anti-Trump posts.”
Amanda Bennett reports to the embattled United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) CEO John F. Lansing. Both Bennett and Lansing were appointed to their positions during the Obama administration.
The Trump White House has not yet replaced Lansing whose former right-hand deputy Dr. Haroon Ullah, handpicked by Lansing in 2017, recently pled guilty to federal charges of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from USAGM. The Voice of America has also been shaken by multiple scandals under Bennett’s watch. President Trump’s replacement for Lansing, film documentarian and former U.S. government official Michael Pack, is still awaiting his confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Meanwhile, reports of scandals at USAGM and its media entities, including the Voice of America, continue.
Voice of America (VOA) is a government-run agency operating under the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which is taxpayer funded.
Its 1976 charter promises to be “accurate, objective, and comprehensive,” and a social media policy prohibits employees from voicing partisan opinions in public spaces.
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Voice Of America Editor Likely Has A Facebook Page Littered With Anti-Trump Posts. By Shelby Talcott, The Daily Caller, July 14, 2019.