OPINION:
On June 7, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee will take up the nomination of Amanda Bennett to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the $800 million “soft power” federal government media agency that broadcasts news overseas.
Ms. Bennett previously headed Voice of America from 2016 to mid-2020. She was able to remain in the position during the Trump administration before former President Donald Trump’s nominee, Michael Pack, arrived. If Ms. Bennett is confirmed, she would become only the second ex-VOA director to head USAGM.
Ms. Bennett is a prominent newspaper journalist who worked as a foreign correspondent in China. To some, her experience makes her a good choice to head the government’s media agency. But senators should take a close look at her record at Voice of America, the main federalized media entity at USAGM, and ask tough questions about content, scandals and mismanagement.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Bennett’s VOA published soft coverage of China. In one report, VOA called Chinese efforts in Wuhan to contain the virus a “model” for other nations. VOA also published stories and videos boasting about Chinese medical aid to other nations.
For example, under the auspices of covering China’s attempt to rebrand, a March 19, 2020, VOA story republished pro-Beijing figures and statements from the country’s state press. VOA wrote, “From Asia to Europe, South America to Africa, China is providing or has pledged humanitarian assistance in the form of donations or medical expertise.“
One Trump appointee and a co-author of this column (Shapiro) was so troubled by VOA’s pro-China reporting that he pushed published stories and videos up to the Oval Office, complaining that VOA was shining a favorable light on Beijing.
Reacting to this coverage, Mr. Trump called the network the “Voice of the Soviet Union.” The White House released a statement saying, “VOA too often speaks for America’s adversaries — not its citizens. Journalists should report the facts, but VOA has instead amplified Beijing’s propaganda.” That statement now appears to have been removed from the White House’s website.
Previously, Ms. Bennett’s VOA bowed to CCP pressure by cutting short a May 2017 interview with Chinese dissident Guo Wengui after Beijing issued an Interpol red alert and complained to the State Department. Three VOA journalists who stalled on terminating the interview were suspended and one was fired, and VOA was soon embroiled in one of the biggest scandals in USAGM history. On June 9, 2017, CNBC said the incident had thrown VOA into “turmoil.”
VOA was often riven by scandals, mismanagement and employee dissatisfaction. In 2020, allegations of political bias in VOA content arose, and in 2021, The Washington Post reported on the problem of plagiarism in some VOA language services. Some of this occurred under Ms. Bennett’s watch, including bias in reports and social media feeds of VOA correspondents.
In 2016, Ms. Bennett hired three acquaintances to investigate VOA operations. To this day, only an executive summary has been seen, and only because Trump-era managers forced its release.
“The perception of biased coverage is real among multiple VOA reporters and editors,” the summary reports. Senators should ask Ms. Bennett where the full report is, why it has not been published and why she did not detect the plagiarism problem.
In 2018, OPM and ODNI “noted potential concerns with USAGM’s safeguarding of classified national security information.” These violations occurred for decades, including the years Ms. Bennett headed VOA. Senators should ask what she knows about this since it led to the revocation of USAGM’s investigatory authority. The agency was also ordered to reinvestigate more than 1,500 individuals.
In 2019, VOA disregarded FITARA by abandoning the content management system already provided by its sister network, RFE, and instead tried to replace it with a $12M customized product called Voltron. Voltron was so problematic it was scuttled for the agency’s original system, Pangea. Senators should ask why.
In 2021, the State Department OIG conducted a review of USAGM compliance with editorial independence and journalistic standards and principles. Unfortunately, that report is not likely to be released before the hearing. Still, senators should also ask about these four important issues:
First, allegations made by staffers that VOA’s Persian (Farsi) Service was suppressing negative stories about Iran, a matter the House of Representatives has also been investigating.
Second, senators should ask whether Ms. Bennett will preserve the independence and location of USAGM’s Cuba news agency, Radio and Television Marti (OCB). On Nov. 4, 2019, Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott along with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart notified USAGM it had learned of an agency plan to relocate and restructure OCB.
Sources say Ms. Bennett is a proponent of moving OCB from Miami to Washington and integrating it with VOA’s Latin American division. This would dilute OCB’s statutory mission of dispelling Cuban regime propaganda, remove OCB from the exile community, and force many veteran Cuban-American federal employees to resign or face relocation.
Third, during her tenure at VOA, Ms. Bennett made the unusual choice of authoring opinion pieces and granting interviews about her own federal agency for The Washington Post, a newspaper her husband, Don Graham, was once the publisher of. She also used the Post to express her disagreements with the president of the United States. Many employees feared Ms. Bennett’s willingness to engage with the outside media about her own agency. Sources say USAGM’s union leadership opposes her appointment. Senators should ask whether Ms. Bennett believes it is an appropriate practice for U.S. officials to regularly write stories for outside media about their agencies.
Fourth, senators should ask Ms. Bennett if she or the Graham family have any financial interests overseas in USAGM network target areas (Eastern Europe, China, etc.) as it is standard journalistic practice to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
USAGM’s mission is critical as many people in closed societies depend on it for news. Senators would be wise to ask tough questions and demand clear answers.
• Jeffrey Scott Shapiro served as a USAGM senior official from 2017 to 2021 and is now a member of The Washington Times editorial board. Dan Robinson is a former White House, congressional and foreign correspondent for Voice of America.
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