A statement by Michael R. Pompeo, U.S. Department of State, on 10 August 2020, expressed regret at Russia’s recent tightening of restrictions on Voice of America:

“The United States is deeply concerned by the recent draft decree published by Russian authorities targeting U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM)-funded entities in Russia. For more than 70 years, Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) have been vital sources of independent news and information for the people of Russia. . . . We remain troubled by the ongoing crackdown on independent press in Russia . . .”

Indeed, Voice of America has always prided itself on providing fact-based independent news for audiences in countries where news is often controlled by the government.

However, our own current U.S. administration appears to take lessons from the very government it has chastised: “On June 4, days after the FSJ [Foreign Service Journal] reported on unprecedented White House attacks on Voice of America, the Senate confirmed documentary film maker Michael Pack as chief executive officer of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the U.S. Agency for Global Media.”

Pack’s nomination to head the agency overseeing Voice of America has been controversial. Pack has fired seasoned officials of the agency, replacing them with himself and five other individuals. At least one had previously provided “caustic responses to questions about Trump’s disputed decision to withhold military aid from Ukraine.” Some worry that the revered VOA will become a mere voice for Trump propaganda.

The United States will lose a valuable witness for democracy if VOA becomes merely a mouthpiece for a presidential administration rather than a freely reporting news agency. Do we really prefer a propaganda piece like the Soviet Union’s old Pravda?