Fears of crackdown on US journalism as Trump ally removes editorial 'firewall'

Outrage as USAGM chief Michael Pack rescinds rule that insulates journalists from editorial direction of politically appointed bosses

Julian Borger in Washington
Tue 27 Oct 2020 16.46 EDT

The US diplomats’ union has denounced an attempt by a Trump appointee to remove the “firewall” protecting the editorial independence of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other US overseas broadcasters, warning that it marked an attempt to turn them into vehicles for “government propaganda”.

The CEO of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), Michael Pack, announced overnight on Monday that he would be rescinding the “firewall rule” insulating journalists from editorial direction from politically appointed management.

The rule, Pack argued, was “in tension with the law and harmful to the agency and the US national interest”.

“The rule threatened constitutional values because the constitution gives the president broad latitude in directing the foreign policy of the United States,” Pack wrote in a message to his staff.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/27/trump-michael-pack-journalism-editorial-firewall