US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier this week in Washington, D.C. Credit: POOL/AFP via Getty Images
New Chief s Ties Shock Radio Free Asia, While Pompeo Visit to VOA Stirs Outcry By
at 3:03 pm NPR
The new president of the federally funded Radio Free Asia network most recently ran a consulting company from Boise, Idaho that has represented foreign governments and interests. Among them is Taiwan.
That connection has startled veterans of the international broadcaster. Are you serious? said Libby Liu, who led Radio Free Asia for 14 years. I don t think it s appropriate for a registered lobbyist for a foreign government to be leading a free-press organization, even democracies we support and admire.
The demotion of a Voice of America White House reporter led to an outcry. And the new head of sister network Radio Free Asia had registered as a lobbyist for Taiwan just days before taking over.
The Hill: Pompeo accused of politicizing VOA in speech calling for press freedom
Pompeo accused of politicizing VOA in speech calling for press freedom
This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set off alarms among ethics experts and whistleblowers this week when he leaned into his criticism of Voice of America (VOA) during a speech broadcast live by the government-funded media outlet.
Even before Pompeo stepped into VOA headquarters on Monday, there had been concerns he was trying to politicize the outlet. Reporters protested his visit, arguing the Trump administration was seeking to use the outlet as a propaganda tool while its journalists were blocked from questioning the secretary.
Voice of America: VOA Director Reassigns White House Correspondent
VOA Director Reassigns White House Correspondent
This article features our Senior Counsel David Seide and was originally published here.
In a rebuke from Congress, U.S. Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Michael McCaul of Texas chastised the heads of USAGM and Voice of America on Tuesday for reassigning a VOA White House correspondent.
Patsy Widakuswara was told late Monday she is being reassigned, hours after the veteran reporter attempted to question Secretary of State Mike Pompeo following a speech he delivered at VOA headquarters.
“This is the United States of America – we do not punish our journalists for seeking answers to their questions. A free and fair press is at the core of our Constitution and our democracy,” Meeks, the new chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and lead Republican McCaul said in a joint statement. The lawmakers called for VOA to explain its actions and to rein