Official statement
VOA newsroom director says Lake is violating VOA charter
By Barry Newhouse, Acting Director of the VOA News Center
July 19, 2025
Ms. Lake says VOA is now translating and publishing handout videos on America’s 250th anniversary and a series on America’s founders — all of which has been provided by the White House.
This content violates VOA’s charter and AI policies in the following ways:
-
When covering America, VOA is required by law — its founding charter — to “represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and institutions.”
-
Taking handout video from the White House and publishing it directly violates this law governing all VOA editorial content. Only the White House’s perspective is represented.
The “Founders” series that Ms. Lake discusses also violates the VOA charter for the same reason. It also contains content generated by AI, a violation of VOA’s own AI policy issued in 2023:
“VOA journalists may use generative AI for basic research, for developing story ideas or for reviewing reports for grammar, style, etc. But AI should not be used to write scripts or articles; passing off such material as a reporter’s original work is plagiarism. Such conduct is subject to disciplinary action up to and including removal.
“AI also may be used for voicing scripts, so long as a human being retains full control over the journalistic content. Furthermore, synthetic voices should never be used to impersonate or duplicate any individuals, including agency employees or public figures. This includes AI-generated content using an individual’s or employee’s likeness, image, and character.
“As for AI-generated images, VOA journalists may use these only when the image is itself the subject of the story, such as debunking fakes. Otherwise, VOA does not permit using them. AI generates images from archives of artists, illustrators and photographers, whose work often is protected by copyright.”