Noting VOA’s Cold War mission to fight communism, she said she’d like an investigative unit dedicated to probing the CCP and Beijing’s transnational corruption.
Kari Lake has described how she intends to reshape Voice of America (VOA), committing to unbiased, editorially independent coverage while reiterating her loyalty to President-elect Donald Trump.
Trump tapped her earlier this month to lead the government broadcaster, which is aimed at overseas audiences.
Lake, who was a longtime Arizona television journalist before entering politics, also outlined potential future investigations, including ones focused on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She indicated the outlet could build out coverage of Mexican cartels and Trump’s prospective mass deportation operation. In addition, she expressed an eagerness to consult with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, on possible cost savings in VOA.
The politician suggested that the outlet could reach more people and that its overall style could be altered. She characterized some government-funded broadcasting as less than engaging.
Lake discussed why the president-elect chose her to lead VOA with The Epoch Times.
“I think President Trump chose me because he knows that I will make sure that we’re not putting out a fake news product,” she said.
In his announcement on Lake’s selection as VOA director, Trump said she would be appointed by his soon-to-be-announced choice for CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media.
The removal of the current VOA director, Michael Abramowitz, would have to be approved by the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, as would Lake as his replacement. The board is a seven-member panel: six members are appointed by the president and require Senate confirmation, and the final member is the secretary of state.
Abramowitz was a longtime reporter and editor with The Washington Post. He went on to positions at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and, more recently, the think tank Freedom House.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media, which supervises VOA, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, and other American state media aimed at specific countries and regions of the world, is currently helmed by journalist Amanda Bennett, who led VOA during most of Trump’s presidency after being named during the final year of the Obama administration.
By Nathan Worcester and Jan Jekielek
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