Lake says that US government-sponsored publications are valuable to compete with media stories sponsored by other countries.
Kari Lake was sworn in as a senior adviser to the US Global Media Agency (USAGM) on March 3rd.
USAGM is a government-sponsored agency that oversees VOA and other publications and broadcasters, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and Cuban Broadcasting Stations (OCB).
Trump was originally named Lake, a longtime television journalist, and served as VOA director in December. Her appointment awaits approval from the International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB). The panel includes the US Secretary of State and six other presidential appointees who require confirmation by the US Senate.
Michael Abramowitz, appointed in April 2024, is the current director of the VOA and the IBAB must vote to remove him before considering the appointment of the lake.
The role of advisory at USAGM allows Lake to help the Lake pilot the agency and its components’ publications while awaiting further action from the IBAB.
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Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who leads US Government Efficiency (DOGE), is calling for USAGM outlets such as VOA and RFE/RL to be shut down.
In his role as a leader in Doge, Musk is identifying ways to reduce government spending.
Lake understood why there was a call to shut down the VOA, but in an interview with the Epoch Times on February 21, he said such a move was premature.
“This is a good job, ’83 outlet I’ve done for a lot of that year. I mean, some jobs were incredible and some works were pathetic. We need to do less pathetic and incredible jobs. It’s soft power,” she said.
VOA’s Lake View
Lake, who worked as a news anchor for Phoenix’s Fox Affiliate until 2021, is in close alignment with Trump. He supported her in the 2022 Arizona Governor’s Campaign and once again supported her in her campaign for the US Senate.
In a comment to the Epoch Times in December, Lake said he was trying to lead the VOA as an editorially independent news organization.
“I think President Trump chose me because he knows we’re making sure we’re not putting out fake news products,” Lake said at the time.
In a recent comment to the Epoch Times, Lake said there is a debate that US government-funded publications such as the VOA are propaganda, but she said all news publications show some bias towards the editorial focus and the stories they have chosen.
“American voice, we’re going to push the American story, that’s the story we’re pushing,” she said.
Lake also said that US government-sponsored publications are valuable to compete with stories other countries promote on the world stage through state-sponsored media.
“I think our enemies are doing almost the same thing. They’re giving out information. There’s no denying that we’re currently in the information war. This is a war where powerful beings like Voice of America can become huge tools for improvement,” she said.
