BBG Watch Commentary
An email titled: “Here is what a struggling agency is spending its time on” is being sent around among employees of the Voice of America (VOA), one of the U.S. taxpayer-funded media entities of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) federal agency in Washington, DC.
VOA, which is charged with providing uncensored U.S. and world news to international audiences, has one of the lowest employee morale ratings within the federal government. It has been plagued by mismanagement and inability to cover news in a timely and comprehensive fashion.
SEE: How can CEO Andy Lack get Voice of America to cover news?, BBG Watch, February 9, 2015.
SEE: Voice of America misremembered to cover Brian Williams story, BBG Watch, February 8, 2015.
As Voice of America executives find it difficult to arrange work schedules of more than a thousand of employees and hundreds of contractors so that more than just one writer and one editor would be on duty inside the VOA Central English Newsroom on a Saturday night, partying at the VOA federal building in Washington, DC presumably on government time and at least partially at taxpayers’ expense gets plenty of attention from scores of VOA officials.
“Here is what a struggling agency is spending its time on” email being passed around among Voice of America journalists includes an announcement sent earlier to agency employees urging them to participate in a “Special Valentine’s Day Networking Event.”
What kind of Valentine’s Day networking do these bureaucrats have in mind?
They never cease to amaze us.
No wonder VOA reporters are making fun of this.
Special Valentine’s Day Networking Event
Special Valentine’s Day Networking Event with a
Chocolate Contest! Sugar-free treats are welcome.
Plus music too!
Date? Friday February 13th
Time? 2:30pm to 3:30pm.
Where? 1100 Hallway Cohen Building
Outside the Nurse’s Office
What? Enjoy some treats made by your colleagues and vote for your favorites! (By and for the people in the Cohen Building!)
The top favorites will receive special goodie bags.
If you would like to enter the contest, please bring homemade items and drop them off in the hallway outside the Nurse’s Office between 1:30pm & 2:00pm.
All we would like to say:
If you can’t do a decent job of managing to cover the news.
To Russia with Love! seems to be the only alternative.