Op-Ed: Trump has pulled out of the global battle for hearts and minds
Today a global battle of ideas is raging between representative democracy and authoritarianism. But instead of leading the forces of freedom in this epic clash, President Trump’s administration has laid down arms.
Both Russia and China have launched sophisticated communication strategies aimed at silencing their critics, shaping popular attitudes and undermining support for democratic institutions and values. These efforts have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, with despots sensing an opportunity to put the champions of liberty further on the defensive.
The last time the West faced a comparable threat, during the Cold War, the United States and its allies mustered the resources required to engage in and ultimately win the ideological competition. A similar effort is urgently needed today. But instead, the Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. government’s existing information capabilities.
Especially troubling are the recent moves to gut the independence of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which manages the country’s international broadcasting — including Voice of America, Radio/TV Marti, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Radio Free Asia.
With some 3,000 employees and an annual budget that exceeds $700 million, the Agency for Global Media’s mission is to give people around the world what they deserve but are too often denied: information that is accurate, comprehensive and fair. Historically, when listeners have tuned in to these outlets, they could count on hearing from professional and independent journalists, not from government propagandists. Indeed, that is why they tuned in.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/op-ed-trump-pulled-global-101534837.html
