Comments on: Kremlin Can’t Pursue War Against Internet Without Hackers, Expert Says, But This Is No Consolation for Voice of America

By: Jim Critchlow

Jim Critchlow — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:06:19 +0000

Ted. Let me try to clarify. I didn’t mean to exempt the BBG from the criticism that it richly deserves, or the VOA and RFE/RL managements. What I’m against is pitting the two radios against each other as institutions. Over the years, there’s been a regrettable tendency among employees and partisans of both radios to see themselves as in competition, even though their missions are completely different. It’s wrong to look at support from the government as an inflexible pie, where if one gets a bigger slice, then the other gets a smaller. When both sides are doing their jobs well, the pie gets bigger and each slice can grow. That may seem like “pie in the sky,” but in the long run it’s true.
Sergei. The scissors analogy goes back to the early Cold War, when all the major Western radios were trying to cut through jamming. I’m happy to adopt your “bird-can-only-fly-on-two-wings” as more appropriate today–so far. Glad you’re enjoying my “Radio-Hole-in-the-Head.”
Jim

By: tedlipien

tedlipien — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:10:14 +0000

Jim,

In principle, I completely agree with you. VOA and RFE/RL have quite distinctive and complementary roles, and both have a great past record of supporting media freedom. I would have said nothing about the bureaucratic politics of the BBG staff, but the VOA Russian Service no longer exists as a serious broadcasting operation because of their actions, which — I must say — have been daringly brilliant. (1. Ignoring the will of Congress. 2. Taking the VOA radio program off the air in complete secrecy. 3. Lying that Congress had approved it. 4. Persisting in keeping VOA Russian radio off the air after Russia attacked Georgia. ) There is far more than just “some truth” to it. The BBG staff made sure that VOA will never have any effective role as an American radio station in Russia.

RFE/RL is not at fault here, although its top management should have resisted BBG directives that changed it from a surrogate to an internal broadcaster, which is now exposed to intimidation by the Russian security services. They definitely have a serious problem with their current setup in Russia.

Perhaps it would have been better to keep quiet about it, but since the BBG staff also destroyed VOA Russian radio, the problem is too serious to ignore. If the BBG restores VOA broadcasting in Russia and moves to protect RFE/RL journalists and the independence of their programs, I will be the first one to praise them.

We could then address the issue raised by Sergei as to what needs to be done to make both RFE/RL and VOA more effective in the Russian media market. The BBG is destroying an American institution and FreeMediaOnline.org has a journalistic duty to report it even if it makes the BBG bureaucrats angry and less likely to give in. I doubt, however, that having taken a great risk in destroying VOA radio, anything short of public and/or Congressional outrage is likely to change their minds.

Ted

By: Sergei

Sergei — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 22:01:42 +0000

Jim:

I’m just about to finish reading your book Radio Liberty: Radio Hole-in-the-head. There are just a few pages left. Great stuff, thank you so much! I appreciate your honesty, humor and beautiful style. I’ve read quite a few books on international broadcasting. Yours is my favorite.

I’m not sure I like Loomis’ scissors analogy, though. Sounds a bit threatening to me. With VoA Russian out of picture, is RL just a knife, then? Maybe it’s better to talk about two wings that a bird needs to fly or about figure skating that enjoyed the most when it’s done in a pair…

Poetic images aside, IMHO VoA Russian didn’t reflect America very well during its last years on the air. I’m sorry but RL isn’t much better, either. I’m afraid that both services are mostly irrelevant in today’s Russia.

Sergei

By: Jim Critchlow

Jim Critchlow — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 18:44:03 +0000

VOA broadcasts in Russian are very important and should certainly be restored. But to blame RFE/RL and its supporters for what happened can ultimately be damaging to both radios, even if there’s some truth in it. For one thing,the bureaucracy doesn’t like discord.
And, more importantly, each Radio has its own distinct and vital mission that should not be jeopardized by squabbling.

We’ve always had trouble with budget cutters and other types who survey the scene, notice that more than one radio is aimed at the same target, and think this is a redundancy and a good place to cut costs. As you know, nothing could be more fallacious.

I always quote Henry Loomis, one of the great VOA directors of an earlier age, who used to say that the two Radios were like the blades of a scissors: neither could cut without the other.

So in pressing for VOA to regain its rightful place in the ehter, let’s keep it positive.

Forgive me for preaching, but as you can see I have strong feelings for both radios.

Jim Critchlow