Introduction
Recently, there has been a great deal of debate, and no small amount of axe grinding, regarding the mission and effectiveness of US international broadcasting under the Broadcasting Board of Governors. This debate has now been brought to a head with the passage in the House of Representatives of the boldly named US International Communications Reform Act of 2014, HR 4490, which would create a new structure for US international broadcasting and attempts to create a division of responsibility between the VOA and the multiple surrogate services such as Radio Free Asia, which have proliferated since the end of the Cold War. The authors of the legislation take the view that efficiency is better served by consolidating all of the surrogate services together under a new board, and then turning VOA, with its own separate board, into a specialized service, a kind of super Washington news bureau, reporting only on the United States news, interests and policies. By doing so, HR 4490 would seriously weaken VOA as a broadcaster and as an instrument of foreign policy.
This article is the
first of two that will focus on the role and mission of US international
broadcasting, and will make that case that each service serves important
foreign policy objectives in important, yet distinct ways. As HR 4490 correctly finds, both services need to be better managed, resources
need to be reallocated, and the actual news gathering and reporting strengthened
for the effective projection of US interest and prestige. Unfortunately, the Bill misses its mark. This first article
will focus on the Voice of America."For fifteen years now the Voice of America has been bringing to people everywhere the facts about world events, and America's policy in relation to these events." President Dwight Eisenhower, February 25, 1957
The Legacy of VOA
VOA
has historically had a global mission that serves the national interest
independent of the existence of any tactical surrogate service. In fact, it was
always assumed that, ideally, a surrogate service would eventually accomplish
its mission, working itself out of business as countries moved toward
democracy, as they did in Eastern Europe. It was never a choice of VOA or
Radio Liberty broadcasting to the USSR and Russia, for example, it was always
VOA and
Radio Liberty. Both were important instruments of US foreign policy, and both
were, and in the case of Russia, still are needed.
In 1942, VOA’s initial broadcast began with the pledge, “The news may be good or bad for us, we will always tell you the truth.” This statement set the precedent that VOA would counter disinformation with straight reporting of the facts. In 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed NSDD 45, in which he emphasized the importance of international broadcasting as an important component of his muscular foreign policy. President Reagan went on to direct that the “VOA should take steps to strengthen existing mechanisms for relating program content to current US foreign and national security policy objectives, while ensuring the integrity of news broadcasting … in accordance with its legislative charter.” The charter, of course, refers to the VOA Charter signed into law in 1976.
It
is within that context that VOA operated with success through the end of the
Cold War. VOA had a comprehensive news reporting mandate that required it to be
truthful and balanced in its reporting, VOA was to produce programming that
explored and explained American culture and institutions, and it had a policy mandate
which could take many forms, but was intended clearly articulate America’s
policies and interests. By effectively carrying out these program elements, VOA
was supporting US national security interests.
And, cumbersome though the different requirements might appear, it worked
through the end of the Cold War in a kind of equilibrium between the Presidentially
appointed VOA Director, the USIA Director and national security and foreign
policy elements of the Administration.
With
the establishment of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and the dissolution
of USIA, though, much has changed. But the real and potential importance of VOA
to support US national security interests is no less now than then. But VOA’s
mission does need to be restated and reasserted for the 21st
century.
The VOA Mission
In
a world of multiple media outlets and wide access to external information
sources (though not always guaranteed) what is the mission of
the Voice of America?
First,
as HR 4490 correctly states, the VOA should literally be THE Voice of America. VOA should report on America and its place in
the world. It should feature stories on the American people American institutions
and culture. It should explore the American democracy in all its triumphs as
well as its shortcomings. People striving for freedom take heart in knowing
that the democratic ideal is aspirational, and that it requires constant work
to maintain and expand it. The VOA should be an honest recorder of the American
experience.
The
VOA should also clearly report American foreign policy and its formulation.
There are a number of ways that VOA can carry out this aspect of its mission,
but VOA should never leave a doubt in the audience’s mind what American policy
is once such a policy is articulated. The first and most effective way to
present and explain American policy is through in-depth coverage of news from
the White House, Congress, the Pentagon, the State Department and other
official policy arms. Accurate news reporting of important American policy
developments should be given priority in VOA broadcasts. Policy also can be
explicated by interviews with key policy makers and spokespersons. And, in keeping
with the VOA Charter, policy needs to be put into the context of the debate
surrounding a particular policy position, and allow for responsible dissenting
voices to be fairly presented. Respect for opposing views is a critical element
in any working democracy, and in America’s divided government today there are
few policies that enjoy unanimous support.
Of
utmost importance, the Voice of America should be a comprehensive and credible
reporter of global news. The proliferation of media available generally to the
public through multiple channels has not led to a concomitant improvement in
the quality of the news
reporting.
The VOA should cover and report on important events wherever they occur. Its audience
expects it to be a full-service news source. Ignoring news that does not
directly link to the United States will lead to loss of audience and
credibility and will project to the world the sense that if news does not
directly affect Americans, it’s not important. The VOA provides a critical
service by being comprehensive and authoritative in covering global news and
reporting local and regional news of importance to foreign audiences. People throughout
the world first want to news that is important to them. By providing it, VOA
builds important bridges and audience.
Who is the Audience?
Public
diplomacy is simply an effort to advance US national interests by reaching out
to the broader public. It is based upon
the American principle that just government is derived from the people – people
and their opinions matter. The VOA is and always was a part of this effort. The
VOA should strive to reach as large an audience as possible within the resources
that it has available. Often, communications with our
allies or nations non-aligned in a crisis is as important as reaching our foes. Its target audience is
anyone who has an interest in America and the desire to obtain news from an
America news source, and especially influentials. That audience can be drawn from every segment
of society. Public diplomacy is arguably as important in democratic countries
where public opinion can move governments as it is in repressive ones. HR 4490 completely misses this important point, and would direct broadcasts only at information-denied societies unless an exception were granted.
Since
English is the language of America, it should be the first language of the
Voice of America. Throughout the world there are English speakers, and many
more who desire to learn English. This has to be VOA’s first worldwide language
service.
Beyond
that, VOA should broadcast in the major languages of the world, and in those
languages whose speakers the United States has a particular need or desire to
reach. Obviously, resource constraints will require choices. The goal is to
reach the greatest number of people with the greatest need and of the most
critical importance to the United States.
Reaching the Audience
The
VOA must be able to reach its intended audiences. During his Presidency, Ronald
Reagan proposed a massive modernization of VOA’s infrastructure, with
particular emphasis on shortwave broadcasting and satellite television service.
In the end, close to $1 billion was appropriated to this purpose. But the media
environment has radically changed. To its credit, the VOA was the first
international broadcaster to utilize the Internet to reach audiences. But it has
since moved too slowly in adapting to a new media environment.
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| Photo: RFA |
The
VOA has to use every medium available in order to effectively carry out its
worldwide mission. Not every medium is available everywhere. Different media
require different styles and personnel skills. Just as television is more than
‘radio with pictures,’ the Web and social media also have their own
characteristics that require specialized editorial and production skills. VOA
should be organized to allow each medium to reach its full potential rather
than simply shifting financial and personnel resources to the next new thing or
making it a collateral duty. New media tends to be a resource hog, but it
necessary if you are going to go where the audience is.
VOA
management needs to bear in mind that in a major crisis, the means to reach an
audience can be quickly reduced to a few. Domestic disasters can provide a
lesson: electricity fails, cell phones become bricks, and often the only
remaining means of reaching people is through old- fashioned radio. A report by
the US Army likened Hurricane
Katrina to a WMD attack in its impact on communications infrastructure. Having a reserve capacity
of radio transmitters, AM, FM and shortwave may prove important in an
international crisis. With regard to shortwave, VOA should discuss with other
international broadcasters, particularly BBC, whether sharing transmission facilities may
make sense to maintain a surge capacity if needed while reducing infrastructure
costs to each. VOA should cooperate with the DOD on maintaining a mobile radio
transmitter reserve.
Administration
To
paraphrase President Eisenhower, organization cannot overcome bad leadership.
Still, it is clear that the current management structure of the BBG and the IBB
needs to be changed. It was flawed from the beginning, and became especially
unworkable after the breakup
of the USIA.
Baring
the unlikely reinstitution of USIA, The VOA needs to be an independent
government agency with a Presidentially appointed/ Senate-confirmed head of
Agency. That individual should have full executive authority over the VOA
appropriation, and should participate as an active member of the foreign
affairs structure. As in the past, this Presidential appointee would bear the
responsibility for balancing policy with the requirement for honest news reporting.
I have seen VOA Directors handle this responsibility in the past with great integrity,
and it can be done again in the future. And, let’s drop the pretentious ‘CEO’
title that has been proposed. If ‘Director’ is good enough for the FBI, it
should also be for VOA.
VOA
would benefit from an appointed advisory board, whose responsibilities would
consist of helping insure that the terms of the Charter are being satisfied, and
reporting on the effectiveness of VOA operations.
Structure and Resource Allocation
The
new VOA needs to have a much flatter organization. From the beginning, the BBG
and IBB have allowed an expansion of overhead positions and bureaucratic
superstructure at the expense of carrying out VOA’s actual mission. Those resources
need to be redirected into news operations.
This will require a restructuring of VOA. To be effective in the field,
the VOA needs substantially more teeth, and substantially less tail.
Importantly, the language services, where some of the finest
reporting has always originated, need to be enhanced and given a greater
editorial role. They will benefit from the flatter organizational structure,
one that can be more quickly responsive to international events. VOA needs to
be faster and more agile and can be by eliminating bureaucratic layers, while
still maintaining the highest editorial quality.
The
VOA has had an illustrious past. It has been on the front lines of America’s
wars since 1942, both hot and cold, and has performed honorably. Its faults
arise from bureaucratic bungling, loss of focus on mission and poor resource
allocation. It has also been undercut by a false sense of competition with the
surrogate broadcasters, important in their own right.
In
this world of instant communication VOA is needed perhaps more than ever. Disinformation has grown at
least as fast as truthful information. While there is no dearth of media output in the
world, the singular commitment to authoritative, objective and balanced
reporting on the United States, its policies and world events is a commodity in
short supply. This is no time for retreat.
Next Steps?
HR
4490 is a step backward. The Bill makes important findings, but reaches the
wrong solution. If and when the Senate takes this up more work will have to be
done to craft legislation that fully restores American international
broadcasting as a powerful voice in support of American leadership and our
national interests throughout world. The VOA is a valuable instrument of
American public diplomacy. It sorely needs a rededication to its mission.
Joe Bruns joined VOA in
1986. He was named Deputy Director of VOA during the George H. W. Bush
administration, and served as acting Director of VOA for the first 14 months of
the Clinton Administration. Bruns also worked in USIA’s Bureau of Educational
and Cultural Affairs. He recently retired from WETA after fifteen years in public
broadcasting.
