A Lao refugee friend of mine taught in Des Moines Schools for a couple of years in the early 1980s and was plucked away by VOA. Fortunately for her she retired from VOA before Pack came in. Just after she retired, she served as President Obama's translator during the ASEAN conference he attended and on his trip to Laos after the conference. VOA in Southeast Asia was helpful in restoring the US reputation after so much destruction and she was a part of that process. Grassley was well aware of the work of VOA. Something has happened to his integrity.
Seems a little hysterical, Dave. VOA is a relic of the past, a place to reward political supporters with cushy, do nothing jobs. Cutting federal spending isn’t evil or dangerous.
I don’t think dismantling the news organization that internationals depended upon for decades for truth and information is the place to “cut federal spending”. Cushy, do nothing jobs? That’s quite a flattering description of a noble mission.
Not at all, Michael. The "cushy, do nothing jobs" and cutting spending were not the issues for Trump. He is Putin' slave, and Putin wants these organizations to send speaking the truth to Russians. I can only surmise Putin has dirt on our former president. Another reason I cannot wait to see Trump's perp walk. I hear he really looks good in orange....
Michael, while I respect your opinion, as a proud former VOA writer and reporter, I can state categorically that you are wrong about the agency. The political appointees may be rewarded with these jobs. But the actual VOA listeners are rewarded with solid, accurate news stories and a wide range of cultural programs including music that explains America accurately to the rest of the world.
I’ve worked in commercial radio for forty years so I admit a bias to toward publicly funded radio, especially NPR. Radio, as newspaper is is being crushed by the internet. VOA faces the same fate. When I taught broadcasting I pointed to the VOA as vital to our countries national security and freedom around the world. I did end by saying VOA’s time was over. It’s become an unnecessary expense.
I sweated bullets yeas ago to learn Morse Code to get a Ham Radio License. I don’t know but I think a license is necessary anymore. I studied for a Class A Radio Operators permit. No longer needed.
Michael, I agree that radio is struggling right now. And I don't see much of a strong future for it. But I suspect some commercial stations will survive with their wall-to-wall conservative talk programs that still draw some advertisers. I think that some specialized stations with popular formats will continue, e.g. community radio, religious stations and Spanish language among them. VOA still has a role in countries that have no free media. It will remain for some time to come.
Thank you. Putin and other dictators would like nothing more than to shut these operations down. Why? They speak the truth which they do not want their people to hear. Keep up the good and important work! And, last (and of no real importance...) thank you for your last sentence, the memorable quote from Bette Davis is "All About Eve." A great motion picture!
I worked for the Voice of America in the mid-80s. We enjoyed complete journalistic independence, which is exactly how it should be.
Part of that was due to Bernie Kaminski, the legendary chief of the VOA News Division when I was there. He always fought for our independence and integrity, especially during the turbulent Watergate investigations and subsequent resignation of Richard Nixon. His resistance to pressure from the White House on domestic issues and the State Department on foreign affairs, allowed us to do our jobs without fear of recrimination.
I hope the new generation of VOA leaders can restore the credibility that it and its sister broadcast entities need and that international listeners rely upon.
Great perspective, Steve. This is about much more than simply “job cuts” as offered by another commenter. It was about rooting out journalists deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump.
Appreciation to you for writing about media treatment under the Trump administration. It was evident he & his minions did anything they could to ridicule, disparage, attempt to silence any journalist in order to not answer questions they weren’t honest enough to tackle. It remains a profound mystery to me how anyone can continue to support an individual whose behavior revealed no moral compass.
Our current Iowa govt. administration also works to silence or distort media coverage, e.g. no more IGOV press conferences, or use of misleading press releases, as with Trump indictment. I support VOA, though about 30 years ago, Michael Gartner and myself had to sue VOA to increase access to its broadcast content. With Mark McCormick's representation, we settled. It does not appear to be a problem today.
Our Senators and Governor are just lemmings as far as I can tell, and we are about to be dragged over the cliff with them. If we can believe Trump fashioned a playbook for 2024, it would have included bringing on these latest (crucial) indictments. Dictators and narcissists operate best in reactive attack mode. Trump loves to control the narrative, as it aids his anti-establishment propaganda. I fear for the nation and hope this case can proceed as quickly as possible….AND that the Democratic Party can get its act together so that Trump will never be in a position to pardon himself…
Thank you for your article on the Trump document and our Grassley/Ernst responses. I have not seen written info about the IA leadership in Congress. Biden’s son is a totally separate debate.
Thanks for highlighting this federal program that most people in Iowa probably ignore.
Right, not a lot of visibility for these programs here inside the country. But they are vitally important to democracy around the world.
A Lao refugee friend of mine taught in Des Moines Schools for a couple of years in the early 1980s and was plucked away by VOA. Fortunately for her she retired from VOA before Pack came in. Just after she retired, she served as President Obama's translator during the ASEAN conference he attended and on his trip to Laos after the conference. VOA in Southeast Asia was helpful in restoring the US reputation after so much destruction and she was a part of that process. Grassley was well aware of the work of VOA. Something has happened to his integrity.
Thank you David!
Seems a little hysterical, Dave. VOA is a relic of the past, a place to reward political supporters with cushy, do nothing jobs. Cutting federal spending isn’t evil or dangerous.
I don’t think dismantling the news organization that internationals depended upon for decades for truth and information is the place to “cut federal spending”. Cushy, do nothing jobs? That’s quite a flattering description of a noble mission.
Easy now. Bit of an over statement.
Not at all, Michael. The "cushy, do nothing jobs" and cutting spending were not the issues for Trump. He is Putin' slave, and Putin wants these organizations to send speaking the truth to Russians. I can only surmise Putin has dirt on our former president. Another reason I cannot wait to see Trump's perp walk. I hear he really looks good in orange....
Michael, while I respect your opinion, as a proud former VOA writer and reporter, I can state categorically that you are wrong about the agency. The political appointees may be rewarded with these jobs. But the actual VOA listeners are rewarded with solid, accurate news stories and a wide range of cultural programs including music that explains America accurately to the rest of the world.
I’ve worked in commercial radio for forty years so I admit a bias to toward publicly funded radio, especially NPR. Radio, as newspaper is is being crushed by the internet. VOA faces the same fate. When I taught broadcasting I pointed to the VOA as vital to our countries national security and freedom around the world. I did end by saying VOA’s time was over. It’s become an unnecessary expense.
I sweated bullets yeas ago to learn Morse Code to get a Ham Radio License. I don’t know but I think a license is necessary anymore. I studied for a Class A Radio Operators permit. No longer needed.
It’s over for radio. Including the VOA.
Michael, I agree that radio is struggling right now. And I don't see much of a strong future for it. But I suspect some commercial stations will survive with their wall-to-wall conservative talk programs that still draw some advertisers. I think that some specialized stations with popular formats will continue, e.g. community radio, religious stations and Spanish language among them. VOA still has a role in countries that have no free media. It will remain for some time to come.
Thank you. Putin and other dictators would like nothing more than to shut these operations down. Why? They speak the truth which they do not want their people to hear. Keep up the good and important work! And, last (and of no real importance...) thank you for your last sentence, the memorable quote from Bette Davis is "All About Eve." A great motion picture!
Way to go, Dave! I’m waiting for Grassley and Ernst to explain/apologize, but I won’t hold my breath!
Awful!
Me neither.
Keep it up! You are refreshing in your comments!
Thanks so much!
I worked for the Voice of America in the mid-80s. We enjoyed complete journalistic independence, which is exactly how it should be.
Part of that was due to Bernie Kaminski, the legendary chief of the VOA News Division when I was there. He always fought for our independence and integrity, especially during the turbulent Watergate investigations and subsequent resignation of Richard Nixon. His resistance to pressure from the White House on domestic issues and the State Department on foreign affairs, allowed us to do our jobs without fear of recrimination.
I hope the new generation of VOA leaders can restore the credibility that it and its sister broadcast entities need and that international listeners rely upon.
Great perspective, Steve. This is about much more than simply “job cuts” as offered by another commenter. It was about rooting out journalists deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump.
Appreciation to you for writing about media treatment under the Trump administration. It was evident he & his minions did anything they could to ridicule, disparage, attempt to silence any journalist in order to not answer questions they weren’t honest enough to tackle. It remains a profound mystery to me how anyone can continue to support an individual whose behavior revealed no moral compass.
Our current Iowa govt. administration also works to silence or distort media coverage, e.g. no more IGOV press conferences, or use of misleading press releases, as with Trump indictment. I support VOA, though about 30 years ago, Michael Gartner and myself had to sue VOA to increase access to its broadcast content. With Mark McCormick's representation, we settled. It does not appear to be a problem today.
Our Senators and Governor are just lemmings as far as I can tell, and we are about to be dragged over the cliff with them. If we can believe Trump fashioned a playbook for 2024, it would have included bringing on these latest (crucial) indictments. Dictators and narcissists operate best in reactive attack mode. Trump loves to control the narrative, as it aids his anti-establishment propaganda. I fear for the nation and hope this case can proceed as quickly as possible….AND that the Democratic Party can get its act together so that Trump will never be in a position to pardon himself…
Thank you for your article on the Trump document and our Grassley/Ernst responses. I have not seen written info about the IA leadership in Congress. Biden’s son is a totally separate debate.