President Donald Trump nominated Brent Bozell III as head of the United States Agency for Global Media, which includes five international media entities funded by the U.S. government, including the Voice of America.
Bozell, a conservative activist and author, is the founder of the Media Research Center, an organization whose mission is to counter what it identifies as liberal bias in the media and everyday culture. His center, MRC, has also challenged technology companies that it says are silencing conservative voices.
A date for Bozell's confirmation hearing in the Senate has not yet been set. Congress is currently holding hearings on the president's nominees to head federal agencies.
On Platform X, Bozell said he felt honored by the appointment.
"There is much work to be done. I look forward to meeting with senators before the confirmation hearing to discuss how best to ensure the President's priorities are met ," he wrote.
If confirmed by the Senate, Bozell will lead the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an organization that in 2024 operated with a budget of $950 million and oversees several entities engaged in broadcasting news and combating censorship, with a total audience of over 420 million people.
In addition to Voice of America, USAGM oversees the 'Broadcasting Office for Cuba', as well as the non-profit entities 'Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty', 'Radio Free Asia', 'Middle East Broadcasting Network', 'Open Technology Fund' and 'Frontline Media Fund'.
As head of USAGM, Bozell will work closely with the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, a seven-member bipartisan organization that ensures the editorial independence of entities in fulfilling their mission to provide unbiased information. One of the board members is Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was sworn in to that position Tuesday.
The USAGM executive director's requests to appoint or dismiss the heads of the entities he oversees must be approved by the board by a majority vote. President Trump announced in early December that he wants journalist-turned-politician Kari Lake to be the director of Voice of America.
Lake worked as a television journalist for nearly 30 years before entering politics. She ran unsuccessfully for governor of Arizona and challenged her loss in court through lawsuits. She also ran unsuccessfully for senator.
The director of the Voice of America and the heads of other entities are not appointed by the president, but by the head of USAGM, who sends his selections to the bipartisan board for approval.
Congress made changes to the definition of the role of the agency's head and advisory board in December 2020 following findings that the first presidentially appointed head of USAGM, Michael Pack, had engaged in mismanagement and abuse of office while leading the agency.
If confirmed, Bozell will take over the USAGM agency at a critical time, when Russian and Chinese state propaganda is gaining momentum and the safety of USAGM journalists is being threatened in hostile states.
At least 11 journalists working for USAGM entities are currently being held in prison by governments in Myanmar, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, and Russian-occupied Crimea.
Others have lost their lives reporting from dangerous environments, including in Haiti. In December, a staffer helping the Voice of America Creole service with contract issues was killed in a gang attack.
Former USAGM Director Amanda Bennett left the post before President Trump's inauguration. A former Voice of America director and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Bennett was appointed to the post by President Joe Biden in 2021.
In announcing Bozell's appointment, President Trump noted that Mr. Bozell "and his family had fought for the American principles of Liberty, Equality, and Justice for generations."
Bozell's father, L. Brent Bozell, founder of a conservative Catholic magazine, was a speechwriter for Republican Senator Barry Goldwater and organized the first anti-abortion march on Washington in 1970. One of Mr. Bozell's five children was among those pardoned by Mr. Trump this week. He had been sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in the January 6, 2021, riots at the Capitol. VOA (A2 Televizion)
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