United States Agency for Global Media

Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Agency for Global Media released the following statement from an agency spokesman:

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and the Voice of America (VOA) have long had published policies governing journalists’ conflicts of interest and use of social media. These policies were developed and implemented by former USAGM CEOs, including John Lansing, and CEO Michael Pack has made it clear they will be enforced.

The International Broadcasting Act requires that news reports and stories published by journalists employed by the United States government and paid for by United States taxpayers will not show partisanship. It is unfortunate that there is selective outrage by some members of Congress and the press at implementing federal agency policy.

On October 2, 2020, the USAGM CEO signed a memo and sent to all staff clarifying long-standing agency Conflicts of Interest and Social Media policies. No new policies were established. USAGM leadership will not allow any effort to distract attention away from the real issues of an agency that has been poorly run and mismanaged for years. Such record poor management resulted in consistently low Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) scores, persistent journalistic conflicts of interest, gross waste of taxpayer money, and one of the worst systemic lapses in personnel and national security in recent history – a literal crisis that threatens the livelihoods of a significant percentage of the USAGM workforce. These are the real crises that USAGM leadership are combatting daily, in service to all of the American people.

The mission of USAGM is to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. Rest-assured, these critical aspects of USAGM’s mission and federal law has and will be diligently and fairly reflected in the management of the agency.