Int'l Broadcasting Act of 1994

The 1994 International Broadcasting Act (22 USC 6201) established the Broadcasting Board of Governors and, under it, the International Broadcasting Bureau as an umbrella organization comprising VOA, RFE/RL and other radio and TV entities. The "findings" section of the law includes the following language: "The reorganization and consolidation of United States international broadcasting will achieve important economies and strengthen the capability of the United States to use broadcasting to support freedom and democracy in a rapidly changing international environment."

The Act established certain standards for official US broadcasters in sections 6202(a-c), which I quote below at some length here, because it's important.

The Charter language in section (c) is echoed by the 'broadcasting principles," especially (b)(1-3). While the Charter applies to VOA only, the Broadcasting Act applies to all US radios and television services, both grantees like RFE/RL and SAWA, and government operations such as VOA. One could certainly argue that the language of the 1994 act actually goes beyond the Charter. Section (b)(7), for example, requires the inclusion in US broadcasts of minority or dissenting views which can not be heard domestically in target areas.

Members of the Board who have asserted that newly-created services such as Sawa and Farda are required to meet the same high standards as VOA can find support in the statute. But, as some skeptics have long suggested, the Charter is a fine aspirational document, but no one was ever sent to jail for violating it. It gives some solace to VOA journalists who would pass a large display copy on their way into the old third floor newsroom. (And why is there no similarly-prominent display copy in the new newsroom?) But the Charter is only as good as the journalists and managers who produce and oversee the news product every day.

And of course, even if the news product on the new radios is without fault, how well can we be informing our audience when the listener may be only 20 minutes from the next newscast, but that newscast is only a headline service for a couple of minutes.

Here's a slogan for you, Mr. Harb: "20 minutes to news, 2 minutes to Britney"

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(a) Broadcasting standards
United States international broadcasting shall -
(1) be consistent with the broad foreign policy objectives of the United States;
(2) be consistent with the international telecommunications policies and treaty obligations of the United States;
(3) not duplicate the activities of private United States broadcasters;
(4) not duplicate the activities of government supported broadcasting entities of other democratic nations;
(5) be conducted in accordance with the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism;
(6) be based on reliable information about its potential audience;
(7) be designed so as to effectively reach a significant audience; and
(8) promote respect for human rights, including freedom of religion.

(b) Broadcasting principles
United States international broadcasting shall include -
(1) news which is consistently reliable and authoritative, accurate, objective, and comprehensive;
(2) a balanced and comprehensive projection of United States thought and institutions, reflecting the diversity of United States culture and society;
(3) clear and effective presentation of the policies of the United States Government and responsible discussion and opinion on those policies, including editorials, broadcast by the Voice of America, which present the views of the United States Government;
(4) the capability to provide a surge capacity to support United States foreign policy objectives during crises abroad;
(5) programming to meet needs which remain unserved by the totality of media voices available to the people of certain nations;
(6) information about developments in each significant region of the world;
(7) a variety of opinions and voices from within particular nations and regions prevented by censorship or repression from speaking to their fellow countrymen;
(8) reliable research capacity to meet the criteria under this section;
(9) adequate transmitter and relay capacity to support the activities described in this section; and
(10) training and technical support for independent indigenous media through government agencies or private United States entities.

(c) Voice of America broadcasts
(1) The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts:
(2) VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
(3) VOA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions."

Sweetheart Deal

"It took VOA more than 60 years to win universal recognition and admiration for its call signal and it has taken it just months to assume several new and ridiculous identities," writes columnist Khalid Hasan in the Daily Times of Pakistan. The increasing emphasis on pop music programming in search of a young demographic, he continues, suggests that VOA is only interested in listeners 16-39. "Some jokers have sold its governors the utterly ridiculous idea — insofar as the Islamic world goes — that the way to a potential suicide bomber’s heart is through pop music, interspersed with snappy sound bites packaged as news and information."

Mr. Hasan also raises some very interesting questions on the undisclosed financial arrangements between the U.S. government and foreign broadcasters who carry programs like Radio Sawa in Arabic, Radio Farda in Farsi and the new Radio Aap ki Dunya, which is targeted at Pakistani listeners.

USA Today: 'VOA changes prompt staffer protests'

In its July 13 edition, USA Today becomes the first major paper to devote major ink to the VOA crisis.

Barbara Slavin describes a "revolt" underway at the Voice of America, "which is under a congressional mandate to broadcast news abroad objectively."

Slavin quotes from the petition to Congress, signed by approximately half the VOA Washington staff.

"As broadcast professionals ... we call on the U.S. Congress to conduct an immediate inquiry into the actions of the Broadcasting Board of Governors," the petition says. It goes on to accuse the board of "killing VOA" by closing its Arabic radio service, reducing English-language broadcasting and launching services with "no editorial accountability" and limited breaking news.

In response, de facto BBG supremo Norm Pattiz cites surveys which he seems to think indicate that the audience finds Sawa and al-Hurra as credible. However, only 53 percent of al-Hurra viewers found the station as either "very" or "somewhat reliable." This skeptical blogger would like to see some more details of the survey, starting with what percentage falls into which column.

Reporter Slavin did a little more than the usual he said/she said on this story. She refers to a recent survey by Brookings scholar Shibley Telhami on preferences by Middle Eastern viewers of three satellite channels: al-Jazeera, al-Arabiya, and al-Hurra. Al-Jazeera, a frequent target for criticism by US officials, was the number one choice for news. He found who found that "No one surveyed said Al-Hurra, which went on the air in February, was a first choice and only 3.8% picked it as a second choice for news...."

She also refers to a recent report by Edward Djerejian, the veteran diplomat, headed an advisory panel which published a report titled Changing Minds, Winning Peace in October 2003. The panel recommended establishement of a Corporation for Public Diplomacy modeled on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Why do they care in Indianapolis?

In an editorial headlined Culture Shock, The Indianapolis Star , of all papers gives qualified support to Radio Sawa and the general idea that U.S. international broadcasting should try some kind of programming other than "interminable speechifying," which it claims has failed on VOA and Radio Marti. "Pop culture and consumerism also have weakened the Chinese government's hold on the hearts and minds of the people. Radio Sawa may help do the same," says the newspaper.

The trades take notice

Trade paper Radio World continues the conversation with an article published online today (July 9). Radio World normally focuses on the business and technical end of commercial domestic broadcasting. Comments from BBG chair ("Kenneth Tomlinson states to Radio World") in this article are verbatim what Tomlinson wrote to The Hill in a letter published on May 14.