3 chapters across the catalog
A House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing investigates allegations of a Chinese spy ring within the Voice of America (VOA). Senior advisor Carrie Lake testifies that over 500 personnel have disappeared since audits began and that the agency has been pressured by the Chinese Communist Party to censor content. The agency, which has a nearly $1 billion budget, is described as a significant national security risk.
US Agency for Global Media, Voice of America Restructuring
Senior Advisor Carrie Lake has placed over a thousand Voice of America (VOA) staff on paid administrative leave as part of a major restructuring of the US Agency for Global Media. The administration aims to eliminate "radical propaganda" and waste within the agency, which also funds Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia. The move follows the 2012 modernization of the Smith-Mundt Act that allowed domestic dissemination of government-produced materials.
Michael Pack, the former CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), faced criticism for firing senior aides and investigating journalists. Pack reportedly shifted funding toward UltraSurf, a VPN service favored by the Falun Gong to bypass China's Great Firewall. Whistleblowers accused Pack of using the agency for propaganda before his resignation under the Biden transition team.
