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Agency for Global Media

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{{Expansion depth limit exceeded|U.S. Agency for Global Media}} Catergory:Orgs {{Expansion depth limit exceeded|OrganizationName=United States Agency for Global Media |OrganizationType=Independent Agencies |Mission=To inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy by providing accurate and objective news and information; to serve as an example of a free and professional press. |CreationLegislation=International Broadcasting Act of 1994 |Employees=1000 |Budget=$753 million (FY 2019) |OrganizationExecutive=Chief Executive Officer |Services=International Broadcasting; Media Development; Internet Freedom |HeadquartersLocation=38.88748, -77.01567 |HeadquartersAddress=330 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20237 |Website=https://www.usagm.gov/ }} {{Expansion depth limit exceeded|Agency of the United States government}} United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, oversees all U.S. civilian international broadcasting, promoting democracy and countering misinformation.

{{Expansion depth limit exceeded|url=https://www.usagm.gov/}}

Mission

The mission of USAGM is to inform, engage, and connect individuals globally in support of freedom and democracy. It achieves this by offering reliable, objective news and information in languages that reach over 410 million people weekly, acting as a beacon for free and professional journalism.

Parent organization

USAGM operates as an independent agency and does not have a parent organization in the conventional sense, though it falls under the oversight of Congress.

Legislation

USAGM was established under the International Broadcasting Act of 1994.

Partners

Number of employees

USAGM employs over 1,000 people.

Organization structure

  • Office of the CEO leads the strategic direction of the agency.
  • Office of Policy develops and oversees the agency's policy and strategy.
  • Office of Internet Freedom focuses on ensuring access to free information online.

List of programs

  • VOA News
  • RFE/RL's media services in numerous countries
  • RFA's broadcasts to Asia
  • MBN's Alhurra and Radio Sawa
  • OCB's Radio and TV Martí

Last total enacted budget

The last specified budget for USAGM was $753 million for Fiscal Year 2019.

Leader

USAGM is led by a Chief Executive Officer.

Services provided

USAGM operates through its networks to provide news, information, and educational content worldwide. Its services include radio, television, digital, and mobile platforms, focusing on regions where press freedom is limited or where U.S. policy needs explanation. It also invests in media development and internet freedom technologies.

Regulations overseen

USAGM does not directly oversee regulations but operates within the framework set by U.S. law regarding international broadcasting, including adherence to the Smith-Mundt Act, which restricts domestic dissemination of its content.

Headquarters address

330 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20237

Website

https://www.usagm.gov/

Wikipedia article

wikipedia:United States Agency for Global Media

External links

{{Expansion depth limit exceeded| agency_name = U.S. Agency for Global Media | logo = Logo of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.svg | logo_alt = Logo of the U.S. Agency for Global Media | formed = {{Expansion depth limit exceeded|1999|10|1|mf=y}} | preceding1 = United States Information Agency | preceding2 = Office of Affiliate Relations and Media Training | headquarters = Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building
Washington, D.C. | budget = $810 million (FY 2022)Expansion depth limit exceeded | chief1_name = Amanda BennettExpansion depth limit exceeded | chief1_position = CEO | chief2_name = Kelu Chao | chief2_position = Deputy Director | website = {{Expansion depth limit exceeded}} | agency_type = Independent }}

The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), known until 2018 as the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG),Expansion depth limit exceeded is an independent agency of the United States government that broadcasts news and information.Expansion depth limit exceededExpansion depth limit exceeded It is considered an arm of U.S. diplomacy.Expansion depth limit exceeded

The USAGM supervises Voice of America (VOA) and Office of Cuba Broadcasting as well as state-fundedExpansion depth limit exceeded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Open Technology Fund.Expansion depth limit exceededExpansion depth limit exceeded

History

Early years

The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was formed in 1994 with the passing of the International Broadcasting Act. The act established a bipartisan board that consisted of nine voting members, eight of whom were to be appointed by the president for a three–year term. The ninth was the secretary of state, also a political appointee, who would serve as an ex officio board member for the duration of their term as secretary.Expansion depth limit exceeded At this point, BBG was considered a part of the U.S. Information Agency.

The first voting members of the BBG, confirmed on August 11, 1995, were David W. Burke, Ted Kaufman, Tom C. Korologos, Bette Bao Lord, Alberto J. Mora, Cheryl Halpern, Marc Nathanson, and Carl Spielvogel.Expansion depth limit exceeded

On October 1, 1999, the BBG was established as an independent agency by the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998.Expansion depth limit exceeded

The Agency has five broadcasting entities that were established from 1942 - 2004.Expansion depth limit exceeded The Voice of America (VOA) has been in operation since World War II. William Harlan Hale, a journalist and writer, began the VOA's first radio show by saying "We bring you voices from America. Today, and daily from now on, we shall speak to you about America and the War. The news may be good for us. The news may be bad. But we shall tell you the truth."Expansion depth limit exceeded

Then, in 1950, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) went on the air. The Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB) was started in 1985. Radio Free Asia (RFA) was founded in 1996.

2000-present

In 2002, BBG launched Radio Sawa, a 24/7 Arabic language radio network that broadcasts news and a mix of Western and Arabic music in the Middle East.Expansion depth limit exceeded

In 2004, Alhurra TV was created as a televised sister network to Radio Sawa and began broadcasting throughout the Middle East. Since its founding, it has established programs such as Al Youm (Today in English), a daily three-hour news program broadcast from five countries on three different continents;Expansion depth limit exceeded and Musawat (Equality in English), a program that focuses on women's issues and rights in the Arab world.Expansion depth limit exceeded

To oversee Arabic broadcasts, the Middle East Broadcasting Network, Inc (MBN) was initiated in 2005.

Other networks were also expanded under the BBG. Voice of America worked with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to launch Radio Farda, a Persian-language radio program targeting youth.{{Expansion depth limit exceeded|date=August 2023}} In 2006, VOA initiated TV Ashna, a one-hour televised news broadcast,Expansion depth limit exceeded and Radio Deewa, a daily radio program of sports, music, and local and international news.Expansion depth limit exceeded

In a January 2015 interview with The New York Times, the then newly appointed CEO of the BBG, Andrew Lack, said "We are facing a number of challenges from entities like Russia Today which is out there pushing a point of view, the Islamic State in the Middle East and groups like Boko Haram. But I firmly believe that this agency has a role to play in facing those challenges."Expansion depth limit exceeded

The board of USAGM has an advisory role. It previously supervised USAGM media networks directly, but was replaced with a single appointed chief executive officer (CEO) as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, passed in December 2016.Expansion depth limit exceededExpansion depth limit exceededExpansion depth limit exceededExpansion depth limit exceeded

In 2018, the BBG changed its name to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).Expansion depth limit exceeded The name change was initiated to help constituents better understand what USAGM does.Expansion depth limit exceeded

The Open Technology Fund (OTF), launched in 2019, works to advance internet freedom, so USAGM journalists and audiences can have uncensored internet access. Over 2 billion people worldwide use OTF daily.Expansion depth limit exceeded

State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki clarified Lack's statement in her January 23 press briefing, saying "would the U.S. Government put those three in the same category? No, we wouldn't. However, there are concerns...that Russia's own independent media space is shrinking and the Kremlin continues to apply pressure on the few remaining outlets."Expansion depth limit exceeded{{Expansion depth limit exceeded|date=July 2021}}

On January 19, 2021, the nonprofit Government Accountability Project, representing fired USAGM employees and whistleblowers, sent a letter to the congressional foreign affairs committees, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, and the Inspector General of the US Department of State. The letter said that Pack had hired the McGuireWoods law firm to investigate USAGM employees and the OTF at a cost of over $2 million in the last quarter of 2020, bypassing US government investigators including USAGM's own Office of Human Resources, and called for further investigation of what it termed a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars.Expansion depth limit exceeded The Washington Post later reported that a second law firm, Caplin & Drysdale, had also been granted a similar no-bid contract in possible violation of federal contracting regulations for a total cost of $4 million.Expansion depth limit exceeded

On January 20, 2021, journalist Kelu Chao was appointed acting CEO of the USAGM, replacing outgoing CEO Michael Pack.Expansion depth limit exceeded

In September 2022, Amanda Bennett, a journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, received bipartisan confirmation by the U.S. Senate to become CEO.Expansion depth limit exceeded Bennett was sworn in as CEO on December 6, 2022.Expansion depth limit exceeded

Leadership

USAGM is led by a single chief executive officer appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Until 2016, it was headed by a bi-partisan board with nine members; eight were appointed by the president with Senate confirmation, and the ninth member ex officio was the Secretary of State. By law, no more than four members could be from the same political party, in an effort to limit partisanship.Expansion depth limit exceeded The president designated one member (other than the Secretary of State) to serve as Chairman. The Board served as a "firewall" against political interference in the journalistic product.Expansion depth limit exceeded

Upon the enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 on December 23, 2016Expansion depth limit exceeded the agency was placed under the direction of a single CEO. The board, officially renamed as the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, was reduced to five members appointed by the president to serve in an advisory role. Previously appointed board members in excess of five could continue to serve, but would not be replaced when their term expired.Expansion depth limit exceeded Under the 2016 reform legislation, any new agency CEO is to be nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate with authority to select key agency personnel. Former USAGM CEO John F. Lansing, who had been selected and approved in 2015 by the BBG Board holding a Democratic majority during the Obama administration, was not nominated by President Obama nor confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate, as this was not required under previous legislation.

In June 2018, President Trump announced his intention to nominate documentary film producer Michael Pack to head the agency. He was confirmed by the Senate two years later, and served from June 5, 2020 until January 20, 2021, when he was asked to resign at the request of newly-inaugurated President Joe Biden. President Biden then appointed Kelu Chao as acting USAGM CEO.

President Biden then nominated Amanda Bennett for CEO. She received bipartisan confirmation from the U.S. Senate in September 2022 and was sworn into the position in December 2022.

International Broadcasting Advisory Board

The board advises the CEO of the agency, as appropriate. It is composed of seven members, six appointed by the president of the United States with the consent of the United States Senate, and the U.S. Secretary of State. Of the six appointed members, one each should be appointed from among four lists of at least three individuals submitted by the chairs and ranking members of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. All six members shall not be regular, full-time employees of the U.S. government, and be appointed on the basis of being distinguished in the fields of public diplomacy, mass communications, print, broadcast or digital media, or foreign affairs. These six are appointed to a single term of four years, but they may continue to serve on the board until a successor is confirmed. Only three of these may be affiliated with the same political party.Expansion depth limit exceeded

The President designates one member to serve as chairperson, with the advice and consent of the Senate. A majority of the members of the board constitutes a quorum, when excluding the Secretary of State.Expansion depth limit exceeded

Current board members

The current board members {{Expansion depth limit exceeded|lc=y|df=US|2024|12|22}}:Expansion depth limit exceeded

Position Name Party Assumed office Term expiration
Chair Kenneth|Jarin}} Democratic 2023|12|06}} 2027|01|01}}
Member Kathleen|Matthews}} Democratic 2023|12|06}} 2027|01|01}}
Member Luis|Botello}} Republican 2023|12|06}} 2025|01|01}}
Member Michelle|Giuda}} Republican 2023|12|06}} 2027|01|01}}
Member Jamie|Fly}} Republican 2023|12|06}} 2027|01|01}}
Member Vacant
Member
(ex officio) 		Democratic 2021|01|26}} —

Past board members

Past members of the board have included: {{Expansion depth limit exceeded}}

{{Expansion depth limit exceeded}}In October 2021, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report about USAGM's organization.Expansion depth limit exceeded

Outlets

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Funding

As a federal agency, USAGM's budget request is part of the president's budget request to Congress.Expansion depth limit exceeded

During the federal funding dispute for the fiscal year 2011, President Barack Obama sided with the BBG agreeing to language that the organization would "expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet."Expansion depth limit exceeded The BBG received $10 million from Congress for the purpose of fighting Internet censorship in China and other countries.

The agency has $2 million earmarked to the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests through the Open Technology Fund. This funding was frozen in June 2020 as China was preparing to introduce a new national security law for Hong Kong.Expansion depth limit exceeded

President Biden's budget request for 2023 includes $840 million for USAGM, which the Agency says will enable them to continue their "vital mission to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy."Expansion depth limit exceeded This is an increase of $29.6 million from the 2022 requested level.

Reception

In February 2010, BBG Executive Director Jeff Trimble collaborated with the National Security Council to publish a VOA statement about Iran's jammingExpansion depth limit exceeded of international satellites. In an email to Foreign Policy magazine, BBG's Public Affairs Director responded to the controversy, stating "the BBG 'firewall' served to protect the integrity and credibility of our journalistic products. An official policy statement by a senior management official of the agency is not a journalistic product."Expansion depth limit exceeded

Later that year, Senator Tom Coburn held up the Obama administration's appointments of Michael P. Meehan and Dana Perino to the board, with the aim of drawing attention to the organization's perceived ineffectiveness, stating in an interview with Foreign Policy magazine: "The BBG is the most worthless organization in the federal government. It's full of people who know nothing about media or foreign policy."Expansion depth limit exceeded Senator Jim DeMint also attempted to use the nominations to force a hearing on the BBG after frustrations with a perceived lack of congressional oversight over the organization.Expansion depth limit exceeded Coburn had written an open letter to then–Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in August 2010 citing "longstanding concerns regarding transparency and effectiveness of our taxpayer funded international broadcasting agencies under the purview of the Broadcasting Board of Governors."Expansion depth limit exceeded Though a report on BBG was eventually given to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,Expansion depth limit exceeded Coburn was ultimately unsuccessful in trying to block the appointments to the board.Expansion depth limit exceeded

In July 2016, the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, Jeff Shell, was denied entry into Russia.Expansion depth limit exceeded Matt Novak, writing for the tech website Gizmodo, referred to the BBG as the "propaganda arm" of the U.S. government and speculated that its alleged role in spreading propaganda on behalf of the U.S. government was the reason Shell was denied entry to Russia.Expansion depth limit exceeded

In 2018, The New York Times reported that the Agency had targeted Americans with Facebook ads for one of its outlets, which would violate the Smith–Mundt Act, a law "to protect Americans from domestic propaganda".Expansion depth limit exceeded

In 2023, after Twitter decided to label the Voice of America's account as government-funded media, a VOA spokesperson told NPR that the label "causes unwarranted and unjustified concern about the accuracy and objectivity of [its] news coverage".Expansion depth limit exceeded

See also

References

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Further reading

External links

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