Where There Is No Plan, Watch For Spinning

Michael Hedges July 6, 2020 Follow on Twitter

Commemorated this past weekend was the 70th anniversary of the launch of Radio Free Europe. The US-funded international broadcaster first broadcast to Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, on July 4th, 1950 via a transmitter in southwestern Germany, near Frankfurt. The mission was to offer "surrogate" news and information for States under the rule of the Soviet Union, using largely expatriate staff. Radio Liberty came three years later, directed toward the Soviet Union, later merged with RFE. Thousands of scholarly volumes have been written about RFE/RL's history, emphasis typically on its role in the Cold War.

“RFE/RL has a noble mission and has played a historic role over decades in countries fighting for democracy and human rights,” said RFE/RL acting president Daisy Sindelar in a statement (July 2). “The tools have changed, but the challenges are fundamentally the same. We have some of the most dedicated journalists in the profession and have earned the trust of our audiences. We know that even in the toughest environments, our work to report the news and model the values of an independent press are making a real difference to people with nowhere else to turn for credible reporting on the issues that matter to them.”

Ms Sindelar became RFE/RL acting president this past week (June 30) in a reshuffle of executives of the five international broadcasting networks under the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). She replaces Jaime Fly, who was appointed last July and recently relocated his family to Prague. Ms Sindelar had been the agency’s editor-in-chief after serving as acting president since December 2018.

Middle East Broadcasting Network Alberto Fernandez was replaced by Kelley Sullivan. He posted to social media the evening of his termination “wish the incoming people well. I hope they know what they are doing,” reported CBS News (June 18). Formerly he had held several positions within the US State Department including ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. He quickly took up a new position as vice president of Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), long critized for bias against Arab populations and aligned with Israeli intelligence.

Also out were Radio Free Asia president Bay Fang, replaced by executive editor Parameswaran Ponnudurai, and Office of Cuba Broadcasting director Emilio Vazquez was replaced by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, a lawyer who had been named to the Broadcasting Board of Governors, predecessor to the USAGM, in 2017. Mr. Shapiro once railed that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting had been “invaded by the Castros.”

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was dissolved into USAGM in 2018 after several years of political in-fighting. BBG was run by eight board members, equally divided politically, and chaired by the US Secretary of State. The new organization has a single chief executive, appointed by the US president.

Voice of America (VOA) director Amanda Bennett and deputy director Sandra Sugawara had resigned earlier. Ms Bennett was replaced by Balkan division head Elez Biberaj. In a farewell message to staff the Pulitzer-honored investigative reporter offered that "nothing about you, your passion, your mission or your integrity changes,” reported NPR (June 16).

All the new appointees are acting. Their predecessors were axed June 17th, shortly after a staff meeting with incoming USAGM chief executive Michael Pack, and the boards of each organization dissolved, reported CNN (June 18). Ms Bennett and Ms Sugawara tendered their resignations immediately after the US Senate confirmed Mr. Pack’s appointment.

Mr Pack was appointed by US president Donald Trump following the resignation of John Lansing last October who took up the chief executive job at NPR. Mr. Pack is known mostly as a right-wing agitprop producer. Other than cleaning house, his only known directive so far has been to push “editorials” - official government statements - to greater prominence. As one former BBG board member said, “Trump’s got his Sputnik.”

“Michael Pack is decidedly unqualified,” said Biden Campaign rapid response director Andrew Bates to Vox (June 25), “and his actions risk hijacking invaluable, nonpartisan media institutions that stand up for fundamental American values like freedom and democracy in the world.” Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for the US presidency, would if elected in November, said Mr. Bates, fire Mr. Pack immediately.

International broadcasting organizations, as this saga shows, become what their funding agencies want, in this case governments. Independence can be as deep or shallow as the political will. Greater independence means resilience and trust. On the other end of the scale, there is absurdity and folly, where funding falls fast.

See also...

• Hot Topics - International Broadcasting

• Hot Topics - Propaganda

Media in Spain - Diverse and Challenged – new

Media in Spain is steeped in tradition. yet challenged by diversity. Publishers hold great influence, broadcasters competing. New media has been slow to rise and business models for all are under stress. Rich in language and culture, Spain's media is reaching into the future and finding more than expected. 123 pages, PDF. January 2018

Order here

The Campaign Is On - Elections and Media

Elections campaigns are big media events. Candidates and issues are presented, analyzed and criticized in broadcast and print. Media is now more of a participant in elections than ever. This ftm Knowledge file reports on news coverage, advertising, endorsements and their effect on democracy at work. 84 pages. PDF (September 2017)

Order here

Fake News, Hate Speech and Propaganda

The institutional threat of fake news, hate speech and propaganda is testing the mettle of those who toil in news media. Those three related evils are not new, by any means, but taken together have put the truth and those reporting it on the back foot. Words matter. This ftm Knowledge file explores that light. 48 pages, PDF (March 2017)

Order here

More ftm Knowledge files here

Become an ftm Individual or Corporate Member to order Knowledge Files at no charge. JOIN HERE!