Pinballing Leadership for America’s Middle East Broadcaster Mike Wagenheim
US-funded media outlets in Middle East under new management – again
Government-funded global media uncontrolled by the government – in a world of Al Jazeera, China Central Television and Russia Today, it seems a paradox.
The US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) oversees the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other federally funded international broadcasters, such as Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). Broadcasting to 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, MBN comprises the Alhurra TV network and Radio Sawa, along with a number of websites and social media platforms. Launched in 2004, the Arabic-language broadcasts were meant to burnish America’s negative image in the Arab world amid regional coverage of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. While viewership for Alhurra outpaces other foreign networks like CNN Arabic, BBC Arabic and France24’s Arabic channel, it dwarfs in comparis
Coates’ firing brings the long-troubled network to its third president in just over three years.
Former diplomat Alberto Fernandez took over from long-time head Brian Conniff in 2017 until June 2020, and was replaced with Kelley Sullivan until Coates’ arrival in December.
The revolving doors of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Voice of America and MBN’s top offices goes to show just how politically influenced the self-proclaimed objective and independent media enterprise, and MBN’s channels Alhurra, Alhurra-Iraq and Radio Sawa, really are.
What started off as the go-to network for aspiring journalists wanting to escape the political influence that dominated most newsrooms in the Arab world, slowly turned into just another such place.
New Acting USAGM Chief Begins Undoing Predecessor s Policies russiaherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from russiaherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
English By Jessica Jerreat Share on Facebook WASHINGTON - Moving swiftly on her first day as acting CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, journalist Kelu Chao oversaw the removal of the top executive at the Voice of America, reversing a widely criticized appointment by her Trump-appointed predecessor, Michael Pack.
Robert Reilly, whom Pack appointed as director of Voice of America in December, was removed along with his deputy, Elizabeth Robbins. Yolanda Lopez, former VOA news director whom Reilly reassigned last week, was named acting director of VOA.
With his departure, Reilly made history as the first VOA director to have stood down twice, serving little more than a year during two appointments that were 20 years apart.