Several journalists employed by an outlet funded by the U.S. government have found themselves in President Donald Trump's crosshairs, according to a new report.In a Friday article, the New York Times reported that one longtime journalist at Voice of America (VOA) — which is funded by Congress throug...
You shouldn’t be downvoted, but this isn’t true. While partially funded by Congress, the VOA’s mission is not propaganda.
Since its creation in 1942, Voice of America has been committed to providing comprehensive coverage of the news and telling audiences the truth. Through World War II, the Cold War, the fight against global terrorism, and the struggle for freedom around the globe today, VOA exemplifies the principles of a free press.
VOA is part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the government agency that oversees all non-military, U.S. international broadcasting. It is funded by the U.S. Congress.
Now, we can debate how much this is true in practice, and I’m sure the governmental structure of the organisation means the government can put their thumb on the scale somewhat, but the mission means they’re at least meant to keep the pretext of being independent and free.
But Trump doesn’t understand that. In his eyes, he’s paying for it (not Congress nor the American voters/taxpayers) and if he’s paying for it he gets to boss them around.
You shouldn’t be downvoted, but this isn’t true. While partially funded by Congress, the VOA’s mission is not propaganda.
Now, we can debate how much this is true in practice, and I’m sure the governmental structure of the organisation means the government can put their thumb on the scale somewhat, but the mission means they’re at least meant to keep the pretext of being independent and free.
But Trump doesn’t understand that. In his eyes, he’s paying for it (not Congress nor the American voters/taxpayers) and if he’s paying for it he gets to boss them around.