U.S.G.M. Director: Global War of Information at the Climut

We find ourselves at a peak moment”, Amanda Bennett says in a testimony prepared for the Senate's subcommittee on external relations, which oversees the State Department and other international activities.

The authoritarian regimes are using malicious influence, disinformation, propaganda, and manipulation of information to stop the flow of information and sabotage those who seek facts about the world around them. The governments of the People's Republic of China, Iran and Russia often co-operate to multiply their bad influence”, Mrs. Bennett added.

U n SAGM estimates that 394 million people benefit each week from access to its programmes. The agency is funded by the federal budget, monitored by Congress of the United States and contains two federal entities, the Voice of America and the Office for Broadcasting in Cuba, as well as four non-profit bodies: Free Europe/Radio Freedom Radio, Free Asia Radio, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Open Technology Fund (OTF).

Mrs. Bennett said the USAGM was established for the very moment, with over 4 thousand political partners worldwide, thus opposing the influence of state media.

According to agency data, American Free Europe and Voice programmes in Russian and Ukrainian languages were attended 8 billion times since Russia's attack on Ukraine. Also, 1 out of 4 Iranian adults used OTF-backed tools to get access to information.

This is the most important moment for this agency since the Cold War and possibly since World War II”, Mrs. Bennett said. “U n SAGM needs to be positioned to be constantly competitive in today's dangerous world of information manipulation and large investments from authoritarian regimes and other malicious actors”.

Agency wants a $944 million budget

U n SAGM has demanded a budget of $944 million for fiscal year 2024, with an increase of $59 million from the previous year. Some lawmakers have questioned whether the agency is properly using funds coming from American taxpayers.

“We have a very open system”, Democrat Senator Ben Cardin said, comparing USAGM networks to state media around the world. “We very carefully maintain the journalistic independence of your agency, and we will continue to do so. But as policymakers, we want to make sure that we are placing resources and priorities in parts of the world where we need”.

U n The SAGM has had structural changes instructed by the Senate in recent years to address different priorities with its entities, technological barriers, government bureaucracy and adequate financing, in contrast with the state media of other countries.

Earlier this year, House of Representatives Foreign Relations Commission Chairman Michael McCaul expressed concern for the employment practices and possible censorship in the Voice of America. He wrote in a letter to Mrs. Bennett that being “a media organisation funded by public funds, it is vital that USAGM and Voice of America implement these strict criteria for integrity and impartiality, keeping USAGM leaders out of the editorial decision-making process”.

U n SAGM rated internationally

Public diplomacy experts told lawmakers that USAGM should not embrace any platform and any targets, due to restrictions on resources.

“Washington by undertaking co-ordinated real-based campaigns to expose the failures and false promises of dictatorships”, said Jessica Brandt, director of policies at the New Intelligence Initiative at the Brookings Institute. “Should also put this information to use worldwide, not only since it is in line with democratic principles, but because it puts Russia and China in protective positions”.

Ms Brandt noted that international audiences appreciate the USGM information on its authenticity.

The Voice of America should not hesitate to present American experience with all its complexity”, she said during the testimony. “It is a sign of strength, not weakness, that a government-funded entity face its challenges honestly. I think such an act can find a place among those who are struggling to keep democracy alive” in their countries.