The U.S. Senate has officially authorized 6 individuals to serve on the board of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees 6 congressionally financed global broadcasting and tech entities, including Voice of America.
The bipartisan International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB) was authorized by the Senate en bloc, which means the candidates were approved without a recorded vote.
USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett, in an email sent to staff on Thursday, praised the newly approved board, saying they “bring a wealth of skill, proficiency and enthusiasm to our mission, which remains crucial in the face of the ongoing global information war.”
USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett
“As millions of people rely on our fact-based news to triumph over information manipulation and censorship, the IBAB provides a layer of oversight and strategic guidance that will support our commitment to freedom and democracy into the future,” she added.
The board members include Jamie Fly, the former head of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Kathleen Cunningham Matthews, a former journalist and communications executive; Jeffrey Gedmin, a journalist, author and former head of RFE/RL; Kenneth M. Jarin, a partner at national law firm Ballard Spahr; Luis Manuel Botello, a former investigative reporter and consultant for the International Center for Journalists; and Michelle Mai Selesky Giuda, a former U.S. assistant secretary of state and acting undersecretary of state.
USAGM has a seven-person board6 of whom are presidentially appointed and one who is the secretary of state. No more than 3 can be affiliated with the same political party.
This is the first USAGM board approved since legislation passed in late 2020 empowered the board to approve appointments or terminations of any network heads.
Under those changes, the board is required to advise the president on ways to improve the effectiveness of programs, report to congressional committees, and serve as a safeguard to ensure the president “fully appreciates the professional integrity and editorial independence” of the networks she oversees.
These provisions were established after the former USAGM chief, Michael Pack, drew widespread criticism for his interpretation of the powers granted to the presidentially appointed president.
An independent investigation into whistleblower complaints about Pack and his team’s governance found he abused his authority, allowed gross mismanagement of funds, and breached the editorial firewall established to protect USAGM journalists from political interference.
Under the revised provisions approved in late 2020, the USAGM president now requires majority board approval to hire or remove network heads.
Bennett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, investigative reporter, and former VOA director, was approved as USAGM president in September 2022 for a three-year term. She oversees an agency that, for fiscal 2024, submitted a budget request of $944 million and has a mission to provide independent global news coverage and circumvention tools to a weekly audience of 410 million.
USAGM manages Voice of America,
