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."
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