Do some foreign intelligence services like to use journalism as a cover profession for their officers and agents? Yes. Does that threat deserve attention? Yes. Is this a legitimate excuse for the current visa shutdown at Voice of America? No.
I note this in light of Michael Pack’s interview last week with the Federalist’s Christopher Bedford. In that interview, Bedford grilled the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media on his plan to reshape government-funded news agencies such as Voice of America. Since entering office earlier this summer, Pack has attracted criticism for his restructuring. Some of this criticism has been unfair, such as reactions to Pack’s justified crackdown on ridiculously biased pro-Democratic Party reporting. But other criticism, especially pertaining to Pack’s refusal to renew the visas of dozens of Voice of America journalists based in Washington, has more merit.
As I’ve noted, these journalists will be forced to leave the United States in the near future. That will be a big loss. After all, these skilled foreign-area expert journalists care deeply about the promotion of democracy and the rule of law in their home nations and regions. Understanding the nuances of the oppressive or corrupt regimes abroad, they are best placed to undermine state propaganda and offer a healthier dose of the truth to their people. In that sense, they are very well positioned to advance American interests and ideals.
Pack says that he has a good reason to suspend these visas. Indeed, not simply a good reason, an exigent one: national security. He told Bedford that he’s “found huge security lapses” involving many journalists receiving visas following inadequate vetting. Pack continued, “I have a responsibility to ensure that the security of these agencies is maintained. And the fact is foreign intelligence agencies, from the beginning of the creation of these agencies, have been interested in penetrating them. To be a journalist is a great cover for a spy.” Pack continued, “It’s a huge problem. I’m working hard to fix it. But it does mean that people who are waiting for visa extensions are waiting.”
Pack is correct. The Cuban, Chinese, French, Israeli, and Russian foreign intelligence services all have a penchant for running officers and agents undercover as journalists. The particular opportunity of a journalistic cover is that it offers both a credible rationale and physical access point to valuable information held in political and policy spheres. A journalist can ask questions and cultivate relationships in much the same way as a foreign diplomat but without attracting much attention from domestic security services such as the FBI. Of added benefit is the political sensitivity with which Western democracies view intelligence gathering against journalists. This fuels a bureaucratic impulse in Western security services to give journalists the benefit of the doubt.
So, yes, Pack is correct that the vetting of foreign journalists on American soil is important.
I disagree with those Voice of America staffers who this week wrote a letter suggesting that Pack has raised these espionage concerns “recklessly.” That said, Pack’s one-size-fits-all strategy for addressing this security concern doesn’t make sense. It’s the media equivalent of a surgeon using explosives to remove a tumor. You might get the tumor, but you’ll also cause far more harm than good. Pack himself admitted to Bedford that he doesn’t have evidence of “any individual case” in which a spy has been detected. He also seems to view his counterintelligence campaign through an overly conspiratorial vision. “It’s all fit of a piece. It’s the swamp,” he told Bedford. “It’s corruption. It’s bias. They all come together.”
I’m not so sure about that. From my experience, the majority of Voice of America journalists simply want the chance to report accurately. There’s a big difference between a biased or lazy journalist and a deep-cover Russian SVR intelligence officer pretending to be a journalist. Addressing each concern requires a different approach.
In turn, Pack should take a breath here.
The taxpayer should not have to pay the salary of biased or lazy journalists. They should be fired. And if the FBI has given Pack evidence of a possible spy among his ranks (intelligence community referral information would be necessary because Voice of America’s limited background checks are not going to unveil a deep-cover spy), he should obviously take all necessary action to protect U.S. security. (Even then, the FBI might prefer a visa extension so as to avoid the spy’s escape before necessary evidence has been gathered!)
But absent that evidence, Pack should grant temporary visa extensions until new security checks can be completed. That will restore confidence while allowing Voice of America’s mission to advance freedom and truth to continue.
