WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday issued a statement on USAGM CEO Michael Pack’s rescission of the firewall regulation in the International Broadcasting Act:

“Whether Michael Pack wants it there or not, Congress cemented the firewall at USAGM in legal statute to protect broadcasters from the very outside political interference we’re seeing right before our eyes. America is a democracy, and the firewall that was codified as part of the International Broadcasting Act is what distinguishes USAGM-funded networks from state-sponsored propaganda we see in places like Russia and China. We cannot allow the president’s political appointees to influence journalistic content and we must ensure the law remains on the side of the journalists—not Trump’s political hacks,” said Murphy.

Earlier this month, Murphy announced legislation to protect journalists from political targeting. This legislation comes after reports that President Trump’s political appointees at the United States Global Agency for Media (USAGM) launched a politically-motivated investigation into Voice of America’s White House Reporter Steve Herman. The legislation:

·       Amends the United States International Broadcasting Act to explicitly protect USAGM journalists from interference from U.S. government officials, including any investigation into journalists’ private political views;

·       Requires the CEO of the USAGM to protect its journalists from interference by government agencies or officials, and to ensure that USAGM employees are judged on the basis of their adherence to professional standards of broadcast journalism and not on political views expressed in their private capacity; and

·       Authorizes the State Department Inspector General to investigate any potential infringements to journalistic independence by United States Agency for Global Media senior officials or other Federal officials, including informal and formal attempts to influence the content of broadcasts or to exert pressure on journalists.

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