U.S. scholars defend Voice of America Chinese journalists

BBG Watch Commentary

A group of some of the most prominent U.S. scholars specializing in China studies has sent a letter in defense of Voice of America (VOA) Mandarin Service journalists who are being threatened with firing by VOA’s senior management over the April 19, 2017 live VOA interview with Chinese businessman whistleblower Guo Wengui which was cut short on orders of VOA director Amanda Bennett.

In defending her decision, Amanda Bennett stated that the live interview did not meet universally accepted journalistic standards.

Critics have accused VOA of caving in to pressure from the Chinese communist government which threatened VOA with retaliation if the interview were to air. Amanda Bennett, her deputy Sandy Sugawara, and their boss, Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) CEO John F. Lansing vehemently deny that they acted in response to pressure from Beijing and the Chinese Embassy in Washington. There were reports of phone calls between the Chinese Embassy and VOA management.

Social media sites have received thousands of comments from Chinese web users criticizing Voice of America’s leadership and defending VOA Mandarin Service journalists who conducted the shortened interview and wanted it to continue. VOA China Branch journalists told Bennett that Voice of America’s credibility in China has been seriously damaged by the senior management‘s decision to shorten the interview. Chinese Americans have staged protests in front of the VOA building in Washington, DC and have contributed money to the legal defense fund for the VOA Chinese journalists.

Three VOA Mandarin Service journalists, including service chief Dr. Sasha Gong, whom senior management put on administrative leave with pay, are challenging the proposed BBG/VOA decision to fire them. Two other VOA Mandarin Service broadcasters who were also put on administrative leave have been subsequently allowed to return to work.

In a letter addressed to Broadcasting Board of Governors Chairman Kenneth Weinstein and BBG CEO John F. Lansing, U.S. scholars wrote: “We the undersigned members of the China studies community in the United States are writing to express our deep concern about the recent proposed firing of three Chinese journalists by the Voice of America (VOA).”

According to a copy of the letter, it was signed by Yongyi Song, Professor and Librarian, California State University, Los Angeles;   Andrew J. Nathan, Professor of Political Science, Columbia University, New York;    Minxin Pei, Tom and Margot Pritzker ’72 Professor of Government,Claremont McKenna College, California;     Perry Link, Chancellorial Chair Professor for Innovation in Teaching Across Disciplines, University of California, Riverside;     MacFarquhar, Roderick, Leroy B. Williams Professor of History and Political Science, Emeritus,Harvard University;     James Wen, Professor of Economics, Trinity College, Connecticut;     Zhengmin Ding, Professor of Physics, Normandale Community College, Minnesota;    Tijie Cheng, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, Macau University, Macau, China;     Zehao Zhou, Faculty Librarian, York College of Pennsylvania;     Maochun Yu, China Scholar, Maryland.

Their letter states that they “have been watching and reading the work of these journalists and we believe that they are among the best in the Chinese journalistic community worldwide.”  The U.S. scholars added: “We applaud their courage in conducting the interview despite what was reported to be great pressure from the Chinese government not to do so.”

The letter also says that “To fire three of the best journalists of VOA will only please the Chinese authority and aggravate the dismay of Americans like us who pay attention to U.S.-China relations.”

VOA Director Amanda Bennett has not commented recently in public on the Guo Wengui interview incident, but the VOA management had released earlier the following statement with her approval:

VOICE OF AMERICA MANAGEMENT: “On the matter of the Guo Wengui interview:
 
We cannot comment on ongoing personnel matters to protect the privacy of the individuals involved. However, what we can share is that the Broadcasting Board of Governors retained Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP, to conduct an investigation into the April 2017 VOA Mandarin service broadcast of an interview with Chinese dissident Guo Wengui. As part of the process, Gordon Rees also retained Mark Feldstein of the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill School of Journalism to conduct an independent investigation of the journalistic practices used in the April 2017 VOA Mandarin service broadcast. The investigations found that VOA management’s actions were not in any way driven by pressure from the Chinese government, but instead were intended to enforce best industry-wide journalistic practices. While we cannot release the investigations, as is the usual practice in these cases, copies of the documents relied upon have been provided to the people in question.”

One of the U.S. scholars said that as of January 12, they have not received a reply to their letter from the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Professor Yongyi Song said that the signatories hope the U.S. agency’s management will resolve the crisis quickly in an amicable manner and allow VOA Chinese journalists to return to work. He said that each day the current crisis at VOA continues, it only pleases the government in Beijing.

Former Voice of America director Robert R. Reilly, who had served during the administration of President George W. Bush, also came to the defense of VOA Mandarin Service journalists in a letter to the editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to the letter to the editor from VOA director Amanda Bennett, an Obama administration holdover official.

The bipartisan U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission created by the United States Congress has published its findings on Guo Wengui and Voice of America. The commission’s report raises questions about U.S. corporate investments in China which may apply to some Broadcasting Board of Governors and VOA officials.

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