Under Michael Pack, U.S. Agency for Global Media Has Lost Its Way

For decades, U.S.-funded global media outlets have been a source of critical information for those living under repressive dictatorships — so much so that when demonstrators marched on Belarus’s state media headquarters in August, they chanted “Radio Svoboda,” the name of a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty branch that serves the country.

These organizations, though funded by the U.S. government, have historically been editorially independent of government officials, and it’s this perception of autonomy that gave them the credibility that allows them to hold sway with foreign audiences. But under Michael Pack, the filmmaker and Steve Bannon ally who took the reins of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) in May, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle worry that the agency, which oversees these outlets, has lost its way.

About the Author

Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

For decades, U.S.-funded global media outlets have been a source of critical information for those living under repressive dictatorships — so much so that when demonstrators marched on Belarus’s state media headquarters in August, they chanted “Radio Svoboda,” the name of a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty branch that serves the country.

These organizations, though funded by the U.S. government, have historically been editorially independent of government officials, and it’s this perception of autonomy that gave them the credibility that allows them to hold sway with foreign audiences. But under Michael Pack, the filmmaker and Steve Bannon ally who took the reins of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) in May, members of Congress on both sides of the aisle worry that the agency, which oversees these outlets, has lost its way.