FAIR: Trump's Pick Could Move VOA Further Right—but It’s Never Been an Independent Outlet

View article on FAIR's website Trump's Pick Could Move VOA Further Right—but It’s Never Been an Independent Outlet Julianne Tveten Michael Pack, Trump's nominee to head the US Agency for Global Media If the Trump administration has its way, the US State Department–funded news organization Voice of America may pivot further right. Senate Republicans today moved closer to installing reactionary media executive Michael Pack as head of the US Agency for Global Media, which governs Voice of America and other US state-run media. The decision follows Trump’s recent rebuke of the outlet for being inadequately nationalistic. That Pack, a candidate since 2017, is the Trump administration’s choice comes as no surprise, given his ideological and professional record. Pack has spearheaded a number of documentaries with decidedly rightward bents for PBS, from an indictment of political correctness to a celebration of conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Moreover, his résumé features the right-wing Claremont Institute and its quarterly Claremont Review of Books, as well as filmmaking collaborations with white nationalist Steve Bannon via Pack’s company Manifold Productions. The specter of a Trump-led state-run media landscape has been haunting leading press outlets, spurring them to rush to VOA’s defense. Washington Post columnist Colbert King (4/18/20), for example, described Trump’s actions as “McCarthyism” and a “war on the VOA.” A New York Times news report (4/10/20) called VOA “a source of information especially in countries where democracy and freedom of the press are under attack”, and published (5/8/20) quotes from VOA director Amanda Bennett that insisted the publication was independent from state doctrine. (Bennett was appointed in March 2016, prior to Trump’s election.) Meanwhile, VOA (5/7/20) itself presented Trump’s broadsides as proof that “US-funded news doesn’t mean US-approved.” Major media have thus reached a consensus: Despite their official funding, VOA and its parent agency are neutral, even noble entities—unless Trump is involved. It is, of course, entirely fair for the corporate press to air concerns about a Breitbart-style conception of Washington-run visual and print media. But for the New York Times and its media cohorts to imply that VOA or any other organizations under the US Agency for Global Media umbrella are virtuous and independent is categorically dishonest. While VOA is labeled as “balanced” and “objective” in its charter, this doesn’t change the fact that it’s still under state control. VOA was founded during World War II to, in its own words, “communicate America’s views abroad,” and was transferred to the US State Department in 1945. Its congressional support grew with the dawn of the Cold War and the Korean War; on its PR website, VOA vaunts its role in “pro-democracy” movements in China and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. For decades, then, VOA has enjoyed the best of both worlds for a Western media organization: operating at the government’s behest while masquerading as an exemplar of the free press. A VOA report (4/16/20) accuses Official Enemies of forming an "axis of disinformation"—and, as you would expect, makes no mention of misinformation coming from the US government. VOA’s legacy of conformity to the official state line while crowing about its own credibility has only continued. In the infancy of post–2016 election animus toward Russia, former VOA White House correspondent Dan Robinson wrote in the Columbia Journalism Review (3/30/17) that “taxpayers...expect VOA to be a key player in countering terrorist and Russian disinformation.” In 2019, VOA’s parent agency collaborated with a coterie of regime-change pushers—the State Department’s Global Engagement Center, Atlantic Council, InterAmerican Dialogue, and the National Endowment for Democracy—in a two-day training session on “responsible journalism” and “countering disinformation” in Latin American news coverage. These warnings of “disinformation” from Official Enemies persisted into the Covid-19 pandemic, as VOA (4/16/20) echoed unverified State Department accusations against Iran, China and Russia. (See FAIR.org, 4/9/20.) This context is essential to understanding the limitations of any integrity VOA is reported to have, both in previous years and now. The Trump administration has renewed its calls for Pack’s confirmation, both generally to shift VOA’s already US-boosting tone rightward, and specifically to counter the outlet’s coverage of China during Covid-19. An official White House newsletter (4/10/20) berated VOA for “promoting foreign propaganda”—that is, citing statistics on the virus from Beijing, and tweeting a video about the end of the lockdown in China’s Wuhan province. Prominent media have responded that VOA is, indeed, adversarial to China, an apparent linchpin of its editorial autonomy. VOA released a statement in April boasting that it had “thoroughly debunked much of the information coming from the Chinese government and government-controlled media,” backing this claim with links to over a dozen related articles; the New York Times (4/10/20) lent this hearty support. The Washington Post editorial board (4/10/20) chimed in as well, with the headline “No, Mr. Trump, VOA Is Not Chinese Propaganda. Now Don’t Turn It Into US Propaganda.” That the metric of VOA’s own independence is its very adherence to US state orthodoxy—in this case, decrying China—is, to say the least, sharply ironic. How baldly right-wing VOA’s leadership becomes has yet to be seen; after today's vote, amid an investigation over unlawful use of funds, the decision moves to the Senate floor. But no matter how impartial VOA’s staff members fancy themselves, to quote the aforementioned Dan Robinson (CJR, 3/30/17), “the fact remains that every two weeks they accept government paychecks”—and are supervised by a political appointee answerable to the president. Whether VOA more resembles the Washington Post or Fox News, it’ll ultimately stick to the State Department script. Featured image: New York Times depiction (4/10/20) of Voice of America's studio (photo: Jason Andrew).

© 2020 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. All rights reserved. Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Our mailing address is: FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING 124 W. 30th Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 10001 FAIR's Website FAIR counts on your support to do this work — please donate today.

He's blaming it all on Obama?

We are in the middle of a global pandemic. Thousands of Americans have lost their lives. Millions have lost their jobs. And here is what our President is concerning himself with these days: From blaming our nation’s lack of PPE on former administrations to concocting a completely fake conspiracy theory in #Obamagate, Trump has repeatedly blamed the corruption and criminality of his administration on… Barack Obama? And now he’s breaking with decades-long tradition and refusing to unveil his predecessor’s official portrait at the White House. If we are going to fight back against the lies Trump is spreading about Obama, Biden, and Democrats from coast to coast and hold him accountable for his failure of a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ll need our grassroots supporters standing strong with us every step of the way. And that’s why we are asking for your help. Thanks for all your support – and for standing with us in truth and fact. -- Team Cicilline. P.S. Oh, and we’re with Barack Obama on this one: Democrat David Cicilline proudly represents Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District. An advocate for LGBTQ rights, a leader on gun violence prevention, and a fighter for Rhode Island families — David is one of our fiercest legislators in the Trump Era. Paid for by The Cicilline Committee The Cicilline Committee P.O. Box 9107 Providence RI, 02940

WHEN DEMOCRATS TURN OUT: Here's why Trump is holding up relief

Donald Trump has declared the sweeping relief package that House Democrats have already passed as “dead on arrival.”   While Democrats in Congress are moving quickly to bring additional immediate relief to local governments and direct cash payments to everyday Americans, Trump is blocking those efforts because he’s insisting on another tax cut first.   Trump’s angling for another tax break for the well-off instead of helping the Americans who are suffering shows exactly what kind of leader he is.    But a CNBC/Change Research poll shows that swing state voters prefer Trump to Biden on the economy -- by 11 points. The only way to change that narrative and give Americans the relief they need will be to send an even stronger message that we won’t tolerate Trump’s inaction in a crisis.

Paid for by When Democrats Turn Out PAC

PO Box 15320 Washington, DC 20003

"Up to ONE BILLION BIRDS DIE each year in the United States....."

Wild Care Cape Cod

WINDOW STRIKES - "Up to ONE BILLION BIRDS DIE each year in the United States when they hit glass," according to the American Bird Conservancy. Last weekend there was an incredible movement of migratory warblers through Cape Cod with passing cold fronts. People were reporting sightings everywhere, such beauty to behold! Unfortunately, there were also many reports of birds hitting windows, and Wild Care received four window-strike warblers in less than 24 hours, including this female Northern Parula. This is an unfortunate demise, as some of these birds have traveled a very long way.

Fortunately, and miraculously, this parula survived in our care and was released a few days later, as well as 2 of the other warblers we received. (Will post videos next!)

There are some simple steps you can take to reduce window strikes. https://abcbirds.org/get-involved/bird-smart-glass/

1. Keep your windows dirty!
2. Turn off unnecessary indoor and outdoor lighting in the evening during spring and fall migration.
3. Purchase UV decals to place on your windows. (Bird Watcher's General Store), or film for your windows American Bird Conservancy.
4. Place bird feeding stations within 15 feet of your home to avoid increased flight speed = greater impact.

Executive Director, Stephanie ~
Photo by Leah Myrbeck.

TEXAS CHURCH - COVID-19 DEATHS DUE TO THEIR IGNORANCE! DEFENSELESS POTATOES, FACE MASKS, PUTIN, SHEEP,

THEY INFECTED OTHERS DUE TO THEIR IGNORANCE!

A Texas church canceled Mass services just days after reopening after a priest died and several members of his religious order tested positive for the coronavirus.

foxnews.com

Texas church closes after priest dies, members get coronavirus

A Texas church canceled Mass services just days

LINK

Putin gets what Putin wants. Between all the tweeting and tv watching, it’s hard to believe he has given 2 thoughts to the Open Skies Treaty.

The Iron Snowflake

57 mins ·

Putin gets what Putin wants. Between all the tweeting and tv watching, it’s hard to believe he has given 2 thoughts to the Open Skies Treaty.

Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/21/us/politics/trump-open-skies-treaty-arms-control.html

FACTS: OBAMA suffered with a REPUBLICAN CONGRESS that obstructed progress and betrayed the American people. 

If OBAMA had committed ANY CRIME, why would REPUBLICAN PROSTITUTES not investigate and prosecute?

How STUPID do you have to be to believe anything Daffy Don says?

Trump is weaponizing the American government to distract from his catastrophically incompetent pandemic response and the crushing economic fallout.

msn.com

'Obamagate' backfires: Documents show Biden, Obama acted properly

Trump is weaponizing the American government to distract fro

Republicans and right-wing media are in a conspiracy theory-spewing meltdown. In the wake of selective, politically motivated "leaks" of sensitive documents, conservative pundits are launching an avalanche of baseless attacks against President Trump's political opponents.

But the reality is brutally obvious: Trump is weaponizing the American government to distract from his catastrophically incompetent pandemic response and the crushing economic fallout.

While right-wing media continue to whip their audiences into hysteria over a nefarious Obama-led plot to undermine Trump, the documents - strategically released by Trump's political lackeys atop the intelligence and law enforcement communities - do absolutely nothing to further such asinine conspiracy theories. In fact, they prove the opposite.

The recently disclosed files show the Obama administration's diligence and focus in the wake of Russia's sweeping assault on American democracy. Moreover, contrary to unhinged right-wing conspiracy-mongering, the materials demonstrate Obama's dedication to upholding the FBI's independence from improper political influence.

In short, Trump's election-year ploy to distract the American public with selective leaks of sensitive information backfired. Spectacularly so.

Well-documented exceptions aside, the files also show that the Comey-led FBI deftly steered a sensitive counterintelligence investigation amid nightmarish political circumstances.

The FBI - rightly - opened counterintelligence investigations into several Trump campaign officials following a litany of Trump World contacts with shady Russian intelligence cutouts; these meetings coincided, naturally, with Moscow's brazen campaign to swing the 2016 election in Trump's favor.

The president's baseless conspiracy theory du jour holds that members of the Obama administration improperly interfered with the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn, the first person President Trump fired (for lying to Vice President Pence and the FBI). Conservative pundits also peddle thoroughly unsupported claims that Obama appointees, as part of a vast anti-Trump plot, leaked sensitive information about Flynn's case to the media.

But the evidence is abundantly clear: Obama - unlike Trump - was adamant about staying out of the FBI's investigation into Flynn.

Trump's future acting attorney general remembered then-President Obama saying that he "did not want any additional information" on Flynn's case. Even more to the point, Obama's national security adviser noted that Obama was "not asking about, initiating or instructing anything from a law enforcement perspective" regarding the Flynn probe. Instead, Obama told the FBI to proceed "by the book."

Obama, in essence, kept a wall of separation between the FBI and the presidency - as there should be. And just like that, unhinged conspiracy theories of a nefarious Obama-led, anti-Trump plot melt away.

Obama's dedication to preserving the bureau's independence from political influence also begs comparisons to Trump's shamefully improper demand for "loyalty" from an FBI director. Ditto for the president's indefensible attempts to obstruct the Flynn investigation.

Moreover, assertions that Obama and Biden "both actively followed the [Flynn] investigation" - published in these pages - fly in the face of the facts. Reviewing intelligence reports on improper interference in U.S. foreign policy is wholly separate from "actively following" a sensitive, compartmentalized FBI counterintelligence investigation. There is not a shred of evidence that Obama appointees engaged in the latter. Full stop.

Conspiracy theory-spouting pundits also assert - again, without an iota of evidence - that Obama's team leaked sensitive information about Flynn to the media as part of a broader plot to damage Trump.

Some context is in order. In late 2016, then-President Obama slapped aggressive sanctions on Moscow in retaliation for Russia's sweeping assault on American democracy. Flynn, coordinating with "senior members" of the Trump team, then colluded - in the truest sense of the term - with a high-level Russian government official to undermine U.S. pressure on the Kremlin.

Putin's uncharacteristically tepid reaction to Obama's sanctions - including the expulsion of 35 Russian spies living in the United States - left America's foreign policy, intelligence and law enforcement agencies stunned. After sifting through reams of intelligence, the FBI finally made sense of the normally combative Russian leader's tame response. Thanks to routine, legal surveillance of foreign government officials, the bureau found that Flynn asked Putin, through a Russian ambassador, not to respond to Obama's sanctions.

In other words, Trump cozied up to Vladimir Putin (via Flynn) only months after Russia's brazen attack on the 2016 election.

Two weeks later, the rough outlines of Flynn's (technically illegal) discussions with the Russian ambassador appeared in The Washington Post. Conspiracy-mongering right-wing pundits have seized upon a recently released list of U.S. officials as proof that Obama appointees leaked details of Flynn's collusion with the Russian government to the Post.

The list shows which high-level policymakers requested to "unmask," or reveal, Flynn's identity in conjunction with intelligence reporting. "Unmasking," in short, is a commonly used tool that helps senior U.S. officials put sensitive intelligence products into context. To guard against improper snooping, all requests to reveal the names of U.S. citizens incidentally caught in such reports must be sufficiently justified and approved - as they were during the Obama administration.

We now know that six U.S. government officials requested to unmask Flynn after Dec. 29, 2016, (the date of Flynn's collusive calls with a high-level Russian official) and before Jan. 12, 2017, (the date of the first Washington Post column referring to those calls). But this list of six names does absolutely nothing to further baseless charges by right-wing conspiracy-mongers that Obama appointees leaked details of Flynn's collusive calls to the Post.

Three of the six individuals who unmasked Flynn during this two-week window are career intelligence officials. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper knew of Flynn's calls before his Jan. 7 unmasking request. Then-White House chief of staff Dennis McDonough requested an unmasking on Jan. 5 to put a critical Oval Office briefing that same day into context. And former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power submitted an unmasking request on Jan. 11. But Washington Post reporters knew about Flynn's calls several days before the first column referring to them ran (on Jan. 12). In other words, the unmasking list is utterly worthless to anyone inclined to hold it up as evidence of a fantastical Obama-led plot to undermine Trump by leaking to the media.

Conspiracy theories aside, senior Obama officials like former Vice President Joe Biden had a pressing national security interest in understanding how and why an unnamed U.S. citizen (ultimately revealed to be Flynn) undercut U.S. pressure on the Kremlin after the 2016 election. We can only hope that Trump would be so diligent under similar circumstances.

Contrary to the president's conspiracy-mongering, the Obama administration operated exactly how Americans would have hoped in the wake of an astoundingly brazen - and disastrously successful - psychological operation to subvert American democracy.

Marik von Rennenkampff served as an analyst with the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, as well as an Obama administration appointee at the U.S. Department of Defense. Follow him on Twitter @MvonRen.

LINK