A discussion at the National Press Club.
The American taxpayer-funded U.S. Agency for Global Media employs thousands of journalists in the U.S. and around the world, broadcasting in some 63 different languages to a global audience of over 400 million.
While Congress has moved in recent years to protect the journalistic independence of the news outlets that comprise USAGM, including Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio Free Asia, concerns remain about what might happen to the editorial integrity of the agency if President Donald Trump returns to office next year.
To examine this pressing question, the National Press Club’s Press Freedom Committee will convene an important in-person panel discussion on Wednesday, April 17 at 6 p.m. in the club’s conference rooms. The event is free but registration is required.
The panel will examine:
- Previous efforts during the Trump administration under former CEO Michael Pack to degrade the statutorily-established editorial firewall between U.S. policymakers and USAGM journalists, including mass firings and other retaliatory measures against whistleblowers.
- Potential for a second Trump administration to employ things like the Federal Vacancies Act and the ending of civil service employment protections to put in place political leadership that explicitly seeks to end the journalistic independence of USAGM news outlets.
- Status of congressional oversight of USAGM.
Panelists include:
- Libby Liu, CEO of Whistleblower Aid, former president of Radio Free Asia, and former founder of the Open Technology Fund, a USAGM-funded initiative that develops tools to circumvent Internet censorship and surveillance
- David Seide, of counsel for the Government Accountability Project, and attorney for approximately 30 Voice of America employees-turned-whistleblowers
- Kate Wright, associate professor of Media and Communications at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and lead author of the new book, “Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America”
- Rachel Oswald, NPC press freedom chair and foreign policy reporter at CQ Roll Call will moderate