Immigrants Protest Against USAGM Voice of America News Disinformation on Aid to Ukraine
RUSSIA’s WAR ON UKRAINE NEWS ALERT and COMMENTARY Polish Americans and Slovak Americans have joined Iranian, Chinese, Cuban and other immigrant communities in the United States in protest against long-lasting news mismanagement at the Voice of America (VOA) in the federal U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
VOA management and editors had to be pressured to make two corrections in three days.
A map posted by the Voice of America on March 02 ignored Poland, Slovakia, and a few other countries providing humanitarian and other aid to 🇺🇦 Ukraine. Of the countries ignored by VOA, Poland has welcomed and provided free humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, mostly women and children, by far the largest number of refugees from Ukraine taken in by any country in Europe. Hungary has also accepted a large number of Ukrainian refugees but was also not listed on the VOA map as providing humanitarian aid.
Thousands of Poles have driven in their private cars to the border with Ukraine to provide free transportation for Ukrainian refugees and to offer them free accommodations in their homes.
The Voice of America has largely ignored the story of Polish help for Ukrainian refugees and to Ukraine as the Ukrainians resist the Russian military invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. Slovakia has also admitted a large number of Ukrainian refugees; its contribution ignored by VOA.
Former VOA Newsroom correspondents who are now retired have complained yesterday that VOA English news website has failed to carry live Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s remarks addressed to the people in Russia. Such news failures have been common at VOA over many years under current and recent Voice of American and U.S. Agency for Global Media senior executives. Yolanda López serves as acting Voice of America Director. Kelu Chao is acting U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO.
Chinese Americans, Iranian Americans, Cuban Americans and leaders of other refugee, immigrant, and ethnic communities in the United States have complained in recent years that the management of the Voice of American and the U.S. Agency for Global Media has allowed hostile propaganda and disinformation from dictatorial and authoritarian regimes to seep into VOA programs.
“What’s the agenda? Or are they simply this sloppy? ” one Polish American Facebook user asked.
Another Polish American wrote: “Wow, that’s almost as bad as intentional disinformation.”
The same Facebook user added:
How could VOA reporters and editors not know what Poland has been doing to help Ukraine. It took the largest number of Ukrainian refugees by far. The Poles and the Ukrainians should be outraged, as well as the Slovaks.
Another Facebook user left a comment:
I keep wondering why the news has not mentioned Slovakia as a neighboring country offering help. Ugh
Obviously, whoever put this map together had no clue of what they were doing. Another example of stupidity that permeates todays world. No Poland and Slovakia on the map? Idiots!!!
One reader wrote: “I asked [VOA] for a new map. Let’s see what happens!”
A now-former Voice of America Director questioned some time ago while still in charge of the Voice of America whether the U.S. government should have required President Putin’s state propaganda channel RT to register in the United States as a foreign agent.
Some former Russian state media channels journalists hired in recent years by the VOA management continued to boast online about their former work for RT in Ukraine.
In recent years, VOA’s U.S. government employees have also produced reports and images glorifying Fidel Castro and Che Guevara. Independent Russian journalists have complained that some VOA reports helped President Putin’s propaganda and disinformation.
