BBG Watch Commentary The review by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and his committee staff found that insufficient management and devolved operating structures for digital advertising at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Voice of America (VOA) in the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), previously called the…
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SMITH-MUNDT NEWS COMMENTARY While “Information intended for foreign audiences” (such as Voice of America – VOA programs) “may, upon request and reimbursement of the reasonable costs incurred in fulfilling such a request, be made available, in the United States,” Section 1078 of National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013 (U.S. Public Law 112-239)…
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BBG Watch Commentary It did not occur to International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) bureacrats that Americans might not like the removal of the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act restrictions on domestic distribution of U.S. government-funded news for audiences abroad. They were not prepared for Voice of America (VOA) programs being inaccurately described in media reports as propaganda. They…
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BBG Watch Commentary The Post and Courier, the main daily newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, has called for restoring the Smith-Mundt government propaganda ban on domestic distribution of U.S. international broadcasting programs such as those produced by the Voice of America (VOA) under the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The editorial, titled, Big Brother in…
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BBG Watch Commentary Voice of America (VOA) TERMS OF USE/PRIVACY NOTICE shows much of its content is third-party copyright-protected material and cannot be commercially re-used by others in the United States without violating copyright or securing additional copyrights from others. In the past, most of VOA content, other than music, consisted of original reporting, writing…
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As Reported by BBG Watch. BBG Watch Commentary We have all heard this story told countless times by International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and Voice of America (VOA) officials and repeated continuously in media reports. The story may or may not be partially true. But the way it was told, it was highly misleading. Some call…
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Federal employees at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) were told to identify U.S. stations but not to make offers of government-funded news to domestic media. Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) internal document, July 2013. FAQs for VOA and OCB for Domestic Program Requests Can I identify U.S. stations that would be interested…
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 Broadcasting Administrative Manual: Policy on Domestic Distribution of Program Material downloaded from the BBG website on July 28, 2013. Link here. For possible updates, check BBG link here.
Source: BBG website, July 28, 2013. Check here for updates. INTERIM FINAL RULE PART 502 – DOMESTIC REQUESTS FOR BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS PROGRAM MATERIALS Sec. 502.1 Authority and scope. 502.2 Definitions. 502.3 Availability of program materials on public websites. 502.4 Media or organization one-time requests for broadcast quality agency program materials. 502.5 Media or…
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“There has been no change to the BBG’s enabling statute, the U.S. International Broadcasting Act of 1994, which authorizes the agency to create programs for foreign audiences.” – Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) But will BBG officials divert tax dollars to expand placement of programs in the United States? This document was downloaded from the…
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