Former U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake told Newsmax on Monday she believes there's "real value" to Voice of America and that once it gets turned around, the broadcasting network can be a "soft power" in telling the story of America fair and accurately.
Lake was tapped by President Donald Trump last month to be the director of VOA, though she's still going through the process of being installed. Regardless, Lake told "Rob Schmitt Tonight" that she believes in its mission.
"I think there's a real value to Voice of America. It's a soft power. You know, we can work with countries with providing information and news and really push back against the growing threat of communism and Marxism and threats like the CCP around the globe," Lake said. "But if it's run in a way that is at any way at all anti-American or supporting our adversaries, then that's not effective and that's not what our money should go toward."
Trump has been a fierce critic of VOA in the past, once saying in 2020 "things they say are disgusting toward our country." Funded by the U.S. Congress, VOA operates in 50 languages and reaches an estimated 354 million people globally.
"So we want to make sure that we're telling America's story, we're telling it accurately," Lake said. "There's going to be a lot of things happening over the next four years. … And we have to tell that at Voice of America in an accurate and fair way. We don't want VOA to be, you know, 'TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome] News.' We want VOA to be fair and accurate.
"And so when I get in there, we're going to make sure it's fair and accurate, and we can do quality journalism, and hopefully we can change the world in a better way, talking about the values of America, pro-America, and prevent wars and use this soft power," she added.
Lake's hire needs to go before a bipartisan board beneath the chief executive of VOA's parent agency, the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), which oversees all non-military, U.S. international broadcasting. VOA was founded during World War II.
Trump last Wednesday announced Brent Bozell III as his pick to lead USAGM. Bozell's appointment requires Senate confirmation.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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