The United States spends almost a quarter of a billion dollars annually on
Voice of America
(VOA). On paper, it looks like a good deal. It broadcasts in 48 languages around the globe. Resourcing does not matter, however, if leadership fails to deliver. The
war in Ukraine
shows how, in times of crisis, resourcing matters less than how management spends it.
Consider Ukraine: Perhaps at no time in VOA’s nearly 75-year history of Ukrainian broadcasts has its programming been so important. And, yet, VOA only broadcasts TV programs 5.4 hours per week. Much of this is wasted. While VOA provides a 30-minute TV news broadcast, much of this features international news or reports developments in the U.S. What Ukraine needs is real-time, credible news about the war, not documentaries.
The situation is even worse when it comes to
Russian broadcasting
. It is important to provide an alternative to the indoctrination inherent in Russia’s media bubble. Yet, VOA only provides 12.5 broadcast hours weekly. Within this, a weekly program dedicated to space and technology reflects misplaced priorities. So too is a weekly program to showcase New York City and “iconic New York spots.” Now, more than ever, it is crucial to reach Russians, not simply entertain them.
The problem is reminiscent of the Radio Sawa debacle. The successor to VOA Arabic, Radio Sawa prioritized American and Arab pop music to build a youthful market share. On February 1, 2004, I was in Iraqi Kurdistan with a senior American official when we got word of a large bombing in Erbil. We tuned to Radio Sawa to get news, but got Britney Spears. Ultimately, we had no choice but to rely on Radio Damascus.
The problem is leadership. President Barack Obama appointed Amanda Bennett, a professional journalist, and wife of the Washington Post CEO, to head VOA in March 2016. After President Joe Biden nominated her, the Democrat-led Senate confirmed Bennett to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media in September 2022. There is nothing wrong with a political appointee at the helm, but competence matters. Bennett was an accomplished journalist and editor, but had considerably less management experience. She has fumbled her tenure in three ways.
First, she arbitrarily reduced the number of staffers who could attend editorial meetings. VOA’s choice of coverage should not be secret, however, nor should Bennett avoid debate. Especially, that is, as she is a non-expert presiding over area experts not only at VOA, but across America’s other government-sponsored broadcast platforms.
Second, she has also assembled a top-heavy team, appointing
deputies and senior advisors
where none existed before and draining resources away from programming. Lastly, she fails to understand the audience and mission. Documentaries may make sense for a traditional American for-profit network or streaming service, but they are a waste of money for VOA and its partners. Nor, should television necessarily be dominant.
When I arrived in Baghdad a few months after the war, Al-Hurra was in its infancy. It had slick production, but the bus drivers, tea house workers, and car mechanics did not have the satellite dishes to receive it. By default, they listened to Iran’s Al-Alam which broadcast terrestrially and on AM radio. Arguably, these Iraqis represented the masses that Washington needed to win over, but never tried. Ukrainian soldiers in the field or their Russian counterparts on the other side of the trenches will not watch documentaries or television; they seek to tune in via shortwave. Will Washington ignore them?
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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is doing a very good job reaching out to Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. To replicate their success, VOA and other outlets need to downsize bureaucracy and increase news programming. Save the entertainment and travelogues for a time when the liberal order is not on life support. Congress may want to
investigate
Bennett and VOA for protecting an employee who falsified her credentials but, frankly, this is the tip of the iceberg. It is time for a far broader examination of VOA and its governing body.
Michael Rubin (
@mrubin1971
) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential. He is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
