“The favoritism and preferential hiring practices of the Voice of America [under BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson]…is a scandal,” wrote one BBG Watch source. In addition to VOA Director David Ensor, other top posts at VOA went to Chairman Isaacson’s former CNN associates as did the top job at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, which is also managed by the BBG. An Isaacson’s protegé was said to have used the phrase “old white guys” in reference to employees he would like to see gone in his part of the organization to promote his own favorites. Even Isaacson was reportedly horrified by this remark but he continues to support the plan to privatize the Voice of America and Radio and TV Marti and has not asked his former CNN associate to resign. Critics fear that the merger and privatization plans will allow former CNN executives to bring on board more former and current CNN employees and to turn Voice of America and the surrogate broadcasters like Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia into a CNN-clone financed by U.S. taxpayers.
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