BBG Watch Commentary
Voice of America (VOA) has removed from the VOA English News homepage and even from VOA Europe News page any links to the full VOA report on President Obama’s Wednesday speech in Tallinn, Estonia, in which he stressed NATO commitment to the Baltic states and condemned Russia’s intervention in Ukraine. While burying the Obama Baltics speech report, VOA kept links to many older news and feature reports, including the one on President Vladimir Putin’s “action plan” for peace in eastern Ukraine. Many much older VOA reports also still have links on the VOA Europe News page.
Anyone looking at the VOA English News website early Thursday morning would not be able to find any links to the full report from Tallinn, Estonia by VOA White House correspondent Luis Ramirez, “Obama Stresses NATO Commitment to Baltics,” on the VOA English News homepage and on the Europe News page. The report exists, but it cannot be easily found on the VOA English News website even though it is still current and important.
Russia’s RT still has on its English news homepage as of early morning Thursday EDT a link to its full news report detailing President Obama’s remarks in Estonia. It is still number two news story on the RT website. U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America no longer has the Obama Baltics speech story on its English news homepage. The Voice of America English news website is also not providing any links to full transcripts of President Obama’s remarks in Estonia.
The only place where one can still find an excellent video report by VOA’s Luis Ramirez about President Obama’s visit to Estonia is on the VOA USA News page, “President Obama Pledges Baltics Support Against Russia,” but even there there is no link to Ramirez’s more extensive text report and no links to transcripts of President Obama’s speech and news conference in Estonia with the leaders of the Baltic states.
What is interesting is that VOA web editors decided to bury the Obama Baltics speech report while keeping links to many other much older and outdated VOA reports.