Founded in 1942, the Voice of America (VOA) radio station would, during the cold war, serve as an alternative to Soviet propaganda for people around the world, many of whom lived under totalitarian repression. Earlier this month, the Senate confirmed Michael Pack as the new head for the agency that oversees VOA. Saeed Ghasseminejad and Alireza Nader urge Pack to reform VOA’s Persian-language service:
VOA Persian was once one of the most popular Persian-language broadcasting services in the world, yet fell prey to dysfunctional management and unpopular programming. To return to its position of leadership, the network . . . should commit itself to investigative journalism that exposes the truth behind the Islamist regime’s disinformation campaigns.
The network should also avoid two key mistakes of the past. First, its coverage should not favor the alleged “reformist” faction within the Tehran regime. There are fissures in the regime, but no faction has broken with the militant anti-Western ideology that animates the Islamic Republic. Second, the network should avoid entangling itself in Washington’s partisan debates.
One reason the network’s output doesn’t go viral is that VOA Persian does not provide sufficient and timely coverage of major events such as the mass demonstrations of November 2019 and the brutal crackdown that followed. VOA’s programs have little chance of appealing to Iran’s young and repressed population seeking information and stimulation forbidden by their authoritarian regime.
Instead of favoring the alleged reformists who serve as the Islamic Republic’s loyal opposition, VOA should give voice to a wider spectrum of Iranian opposition activists and human-rights campaigners. This change would help VOA counter the regime’s propaganda and disinformation campaigns. By highlighting the Islamist dictatorship’s corruption, mendacity, and systematic human-rights violations, VOA could fulfill its mission of reporting the truth while undermining regime propaganda that portrays the United States, not the regime itself, as the enemy of the people.
Read more on Washington Examiner: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/iranians-desperately-need-a-better-voice-of-america