Chapter 8 · pp. 235–252 ·
Mora Namdar, Mike Gonzalez
What this chapter is about
This chapter is in two parts, written by two different people. The first is about the radio and TV services America runs abroad. It says they should be joined up and watched more closely. The second is about public radio and television at home. It says the government should stop paying for them.
The document says “must”Who acts: PresidentHow: internal managementIn: U.S. Agency for Global Media · Mora Namdarp. 241 in the PDF
What the document says
“These responsibilities must remain with the Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management”
The chapter says the agency must never again be entrusted with delegated authority over its own personnel security programs and suitability determinations until it can prove past failures will not recur. Those responsibilities were transferred to Defense and the Office of Personnel Management in the final weeks of the Trump Administration.
What the document actually says
“These responsibilities must remain with the Department of Defense and the Office of Personnel Management”
That sentence, in plain words
Two other agencies do these checks now. They must keep doing them.
What this is about
Staff at this agency must be vetted for security. The agency used to do that itself. The book says it did the job badly. It says other agencies should keep doing it.
The document says “should”Who acts: President, USAGMHow: internal managementIn: U.S. Agency for Global Media · Mora Namdarp. 242 in the PDF
What the document says
“Fiscal responsibility and transparency should return to the USAGM, with consolidation being a cornerstone of the strategy.”
The chapter says surplus services broadcasting in the same languages are often unnecessary and counterproductive, naming Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty in the surrounding passage, and makes consolidation the center of its approach.
What the document actually says
“Fiscal responsibility and transparency should return to the USAGM, with consolidation being a cornerstone of the strategy.”
That sentence, in plain words
Bring back careful spending here. Joining services together is the main way to do it.
What this is about
This agency runs several radio stations abroad. Some cover the same languages. The book says that is a waste. It wants them joined together.
The document says “should”Who acts: PresidentHow: internal managementIn: U.S. Agency for Global Media · Mora Namdarp. 244 in the PDF
What the document says
“If VOA is not put in the direct chain of command under the NSC, serious consideration should be given to putting”
Voice of America is the government's international broadcaster and operates under a firewall intended to protect journalistic independence. The chapter argues that firewall has been used without formal regulation to shirk oversight. It recalls that the service was under the direct supervision of the War and State Departments during the Cold War, and proposes putting it in the direct chain of command under the National Security Council, or else considering an alternative arrangement.
What the document actually says
“If VOA is not put in the direct chain of command under the NSC, serious consideration should be given to putting”
That sentence, in plain words
Voice of America should report to the security team. If not, look at other ways.
What this is about
Voice of America is a radio service paid for by the government. It broadcasts to other countries. Rules keep politicians out of its news. The book says it should report to the White House security team instead.
The document says “should”Who acts: President, CongressHow: legislationIn: U.S. Agency for Global Media · Mora Namdarp. 245 in the PDF
What the document says
“the USAGM should be defunded and disestablished.”
The chapter conditions this on the agency's aim remaining, in its words, to compete in foreign markets using anti-US talking points that parrot America's adversaries' propaganda, which it says would be an unacceptable burden on the taxpayer. It first asks for the agency to be reformed top to bottom with congressional and White House support.
What the document actually says
“the USAGM should be defunded and disestablished.”
That sentence, in plain words
If that does not change, close the agency and stop its money.
What this is about
The book first asks for this agency to be fixed. It says that must happen top to bottom. If it does not, the book says to shut it down.
The document says “must”Who acts: President, CongressHow: legislationIn: Corporation for Public Broadcasting · Mike Gonzalezp. 246 in the PDF
What the document says
“the next conservative President must finally get this done and do it despite opposition from congressional members of his own party if necessary. To stop public funding is good policy and good politics.”
The chapter argues that the government is heavily in debt, that it should not compel what it calls the conservative half of the country to pay for the suppression of its own views, and quotes Jefferson on compelled contributions. It says stopping public funding must be done even over opposition from the President's own party in Congress.
What the document actually says
“the next conservative President must finally get this done and do it despite opposition from congressional members of his own party if necessary. To stop public funding is good policy and good politics.”
That sentence, in plain words
The next president must get this done. He should do it even if his own party fights him.
What this is about
Public radio and television get money from the government. The book says that should stop. It says the president should push it through. It says he should do so even if his own party says no.
The document says “should”Who acts: CongressHow: legislationIn: Corporation for Public Broadcasting · Mike Gonzalezp. 247 in the PDF
What the document says
“This special budgetary treatment is unjustified and should be ended.”
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting receives appropriations two years in advance, which the chapter says insulates it from Congress's power of the purse and from oversight. It notes a request for a $565 million advance appropriation, a $40 million increase on the previous year.
What the document actually says
“This special budgetary treatment is unjustified and should be ended.”
That sentence, in plain words
This special money deal is not fair. It should end.
What this is about
Most agencies get their money one year at a time. This one gets it two years ahead. The book says that shields it from Congress. It says the practice should end.
The document says “should”Who acts: President, FCCHow: regulationIn: Corporation for Public Broadcasting · Mike Gonzalezp. 247 in the PDF
What the document says
“They should no longer, for example, be qualified as noncommercial education stations (NCE stations)”
Noncommercial educational status gives stations reserved places on the broadcast spectrum. The chapter says NPR, Pacifica and the other radio ventures have no claim on an educational function, and that the President should instruct the Federal Communications Commission to exclude stations affiliated with PBS and NPR from that category.
What the document actually says
“They should no longer, for example, be qualified as noncommercial education stations (NCE stations)”
That sentence, in plain words
These stations count as school stations. The book says they should not.
What this is about
Some stations are marked as school stations. That gives them reserved space on the airwaves. The book says these no longer teach. It says they should lose that status.
Recommendations from both parts of the chapter. Each proposal records which part it comes from and who wrote it, because the two parts are separately authored and address different agencies.
The chapter's account of past management failures at the broadcasting agency, and its criticizm of specific programs and coverage.
The two parts of this chapter are by different authors and should not be read as a single argument. Proposals here are attributed to the part they appear in.
