Following the transition between the old and new regimes, President Joe Biden last Thursday (Jan. 21) swiftly removed prominent allies of former President Donald Trump (Trump) from the Voice of America (VOA) news media and its parent organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).
Following the resignation of former VOA CEO Michael Pack at the behest of the Biden Administration, VOA news executive Kelu Chao was named acting CEO of the Global Media Agency, and reportedly fired VOA Director Robert Reilly and Deputy Director Elizabeth Robbins on the 21st.
Pike, a conservative filmmaker and former aide to Steve Bannon, took over the Global Media Agency last year and fired its media boards and the leadership of its various broadcast networks before appointing new conservative members to the boards of some of its international agencies last Tuesday, Jan. 19, on the eve of Biden’s appointment.
Reilly and Robbins, both hired by former executive Pike in December last year, both signed two-year contracts with the Global Media Agency and cannot be removed from their positions unless there are criminal reasons, and if they do not resign voluntarily, Chook Loo’s personnel overhaul may face additional lawsuits.
After Reilly’s departure, Cho asked Yolanda Lopez, a veteran reporter for the Voice of America, to take over as director. According to Fox, Reilly had controversially demoted a White House correspondent under Lopez who had tried to ask questions at an event where former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was speaking at VOA, and Pompeo did not take questions from the reporter.
It is unclear who will take over the deputy director position.
According to NBC, Robbins claimed that Cho’s firing of her was “politically motivated” and illegal. An anonymous agency official told The Associated Press that Reilly and Robbins were escorted out of the building by security guards.
According to NPR, Cho’s firing also included the heads of Radio Free Europe (RFE/RL), Radio Free Asia (RFA) and other nonprofits (including Voice of America), all of which are supported by congressional appropriations.
In addition, the Global Media Agency confirmed that Jeffrey Shapiro, director of the broadcasting office of another U.S.-funded Cuban news outlet, also recently handed in his resignation.
According to the announcement, Biden is expected to appoint a permanent chief executive officer of the GMA soon.
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