Michael Abramowitz would be the subsequent director of the federally funded broadcaster Voice of America, its dad or mum, the U.S. Company for World Media, introduced on Friday.
Mr. Abramowitz, 60, is at present the president of Freedom Home, a pro-democracy nonprofit group, a task he has held since 2017. He was beforehand a director on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and spent 24 years as a reporter and editor for The Washington Publish.
Voice of America, which was based in 1942, goals to supply unbiased information to audiences world wide. Mr. Abramowitz stated he’s drawn to the outlet’s international attain and its mission to counter propaganda and disinformation coming from authoritarian nations like China, Russia and Iran.
“These nations are waging ferocious data warfare aimed toward undermining democracies, aimed toward undermining the USA, and we have to struggle again,” Mr. Abramowitz stated in an interview. “I believe that the V.O.A. is one crucial instrument for the USA authorities on this data warfare.”
He added that “assaults on journalism and the assaults on journalists have actually been a harbinger of democratic decline world wide, so the chance to push again on that’s deeply significant and enticing to me.”
Mr. Abramowitz is anticipated to begin the position this summer season. He succeeds John Lippman, the appearing director since October 2023. Voice of America has not had a everlasting director since 2021.
“Michael is an esteemed journalist and a champion for human rights, and far of his work at Freedom Home has knowledgeable our personal efforts to counter disinformation and authoritarianism world wide,” Amanda Bennett, the chief govt of the U.S. Company for World Media, stated in a press release.
Voice of America says it reaches greater than 326 million individuals every week with information in 48 languages through digital, TV and radio shops. It has a firewall designed to guard its editorial independence from U.S. governmental interference.
The group got here below assault from former President Donald J. Trump throughout his time period. In 2020, Mr. Trump appointed Michael Pack, an ally of his aide Stephen Ok. Bannon, to run the U.S. Company for World Media. Mr. Pack was accused of attempting to show Voice of America right into a mouthpiece for the Trump administration, and a federal choose dominated that Mr. Pack had violated the First Modification rights of the outlet’s journalists. A federal investigation later discovered that Mr. Pack had grossly mismanaged the U.S. Company for World Media, repeatedly abusing his energy by sidelining executives he felt didn’t sufficiently help Mr. Trump.
Mr. Abramowitz stated he was assured that there was help for Voice of America’s mission “throughout partisan traces.”
“The concept we have to push again towards authoritarian propaganda, these are values which are shared by individuals throughout the political spectrum,” he stated.
