The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2014

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2014 15 service to counter Russian disinformation, and opponents, who say the legislation would turn VOA into an American propa- ganda tool and discredit it. The legislation, which recently passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee with bipartisan support, would revise VOA’s mission statement to declare explicitly that the outlet has a role in sup- porting American public diplomacy and the policies of the U.S. government. Founded in 1942 as a part of the Office of War Information, the Voice of America was originally tasked with countering Japanese and Nazi propaganda. In the 1950s, the broadcaster moved to the State Department and then the U.S. Informa- tion Agency, where it focused on counter- ing communist propaganda and, later, on broadcasting news to people living under repressive regimes. Since 1999, the VOA has been overseen by the Broadcast- ing Board of Governors, an autonomous federal agency. In 1976 President Gerald Ford signed legislation tasking VOA to serve as an “accurate, objective and comprehen- sive” source of news, as opposed to a propaganda outlet. But Representative Ed Royce, R-Calif., who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, alleges that “While countries like Russia have been working 24/7 on their information cam- paigns, the VOA has abandoned its mis- sion to effectively promote the policies of the U.S., even though its charter is clear in this regard.” The New York Times reports that the bill has spawned a backlash from journal- ists, many of whomwork at the news ser- vice once run by Edward R. Murrow. “The only thing VOA has left is its reputation, built over decades, as a credible news organization,” says one veteran journalist at the service who asked not to be named. “Changing our focus from straight news to policy promotion will undercut any efforts to keep or build our audience.” Still, on rare occasions, that com- mitment to independence has led to controversial coverage. For instance, the Heritage Foundation issued a policy brief in May charging that “The Persian News Network of the Voice of America has been documented to show anti-American bias,” Although the potential changes to VOA’s mission have gotten most of the headlines, the restructuring of U.S. international broadcasting may prove to be even more significant. The Wall Street Journal reports that the bill would create a U.S. International Communications Agency, with a full-time chief executive officer, to administer all U.S. government news services. USICA would replace the current Broadcasting Board of Governors, a nine- member board of part-time overseers that has proved “practically defunct in terms of its capacity to tell a message around the world,” as then-Secretary of State Hill- ary Rodham Clinton put it in 2013. The proposal reflects longstanding frustration frommembers of both parties with the BBG, which has been accused of misman- agement and drift. The legislation would also consolidate Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcast - ing Networks into a single organization called the FreedomNews Network, so they can share content and avoid duplicating their efforts. Walter Isaacson, a former BBG chair- man who once headed CNN, sees the legislation as a way to give VOA a dual mission to clearly present American pol- icy, as well as objective news. “Russia has returned to its old Pravda-like disinforma- tion tactics, China and the Arab nations are creating sophisticated new broadcasts, and Twitter and social networks are changing the game,” Mr. Isaacson said. “We need to respect Edward R. Murrow’s legacy while realizing that even he would be changing with the new technologies and threats.” But D. Jeffrey Hirschberg, a former member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, called the legislation problem- atic because, he said, it would fundamen- tally change the way the service operates. “The VOA has a pure journalistic mission, and it always has,” Mr. Hirschberg said. “It doesn’t do messaging or propaganda. Any legislation that alters the journalistic mission would be unfortunate.” During a recent staff meeting, VOA journalists angrily expressed their concerns to managers, hinting at a mass exodus if the legislation passes. Dan Robinson, who worked at the service for more than two decades before retiring this year, says it could even endanger the lives of journalists and broadcasters who work abroad. “Do foreign governments now start seeing journalists from VOA as agents of U.S. policy, rather than as jour- nalists?” he said. “That’s a real concern.” But Helle C. Dale, a senior fellow for public diplomacy at the Heritage Founda- tion, insists that fear is absurd. “It’s not like people don’t already know,” she said. “It’s completely funded by the U.S. govern- ment, and it’s called the Voice of America. How does this legislation change this reality?” The full House is expected to take up the bill this summer; meanwhile, the Sen- ate is working on similar legislation. — Steven Alan Honley, Contributing Editor Tracking the Well-Being of Youth On April 3, the Center for Strategic and International Studies held a panel discus- sion in conjunction with the unveiling of