Today's Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/02/voice-of-taliban-on-voa-queried/) features a story about VOA's coverage of Pakistan. REp. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., has called for an investigation of VOA for quoting the Taliban in stories. I think VOA Director Dan Austin says it all when he points out that in order to be a credible news source, VOA does have to quote sides. But VOA doesn't provide a platform for terrorists, has strict editorial guidelines and puts interviews in context. In sum: We are a news organization -- not a propaganda machine. And some people-- particularly those in the U.S. Government -- have a hard time getting their head around this notion that U.S. taxpayers fund news. That, by the way, is exactly how BBC's World Service works. Austin also points out that the Deewa stringers in the region -- there are about 20 of them -- are often threatened by the Taliban. They are brave journalists who we admire and respect.
And by the way, don't take my word for it. Please visit www.voanews.com to see the kind of work we are doing. and I invite everyone to take the VOA Studio Tour in Washington.
Meantime, please post your comments about the Washington Times story --call let me know your thoughts.
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