By DAVID BAUDER, AP Media Author
The federal government company that runs the Voice of America has moved to terminate contracts with The Related Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse, and advised its journalists Friday to cease utilizing materials from the wire companies.
Kari Lake, the previous broadcaster turned Republican politician who was chosen by President Donald Trump to run VOA, estimated the transfer would save $53 million.
The brand new administration has rapidly asserted its authority at VOA, which has delivered information from an American perspective to international locations the world over. Whereas awaiting official approval to take over, Lake was introduced on as particular adviser on the U.S. Company for International Media, which oversees VOA and sister organizations like Radio Free Europe.
She introduced through social media on Thursday that she was ending the “costly and pointless contracts” with the wire companies.
“We shouldn’t be paying exterior information organizations to inform us what the information is,” mentioned Lake, who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor. “With a virtually billion-dollar finances, we needs to be producing information ourselves. And if that’s not attainable, the American taxpayer ought to demand to know why.”
In a gathering on Friday, VOA staffers have been advised to cease utilizing wire service materials for his or her experiences, in accordance with journalists who spoke beneath situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly on the difficulty.
At many information organizations, audio, video and textual content experiences from wire companies are used to complement experiences from places the place the corporate’s personal journalists will not be situated.
There was no quick remark from the AP or Reuters on Friday. AFP declined remark.
In one other social media submit, Lake mentioned that she’s in fact-finding mode and “boy, am I discovering a variety of nonsense that the American taxpayer shouldn’t be paying for.”
David Bauder writes about media for the AP.
Initially Printed:
