TRANSCRIPT:
Congress has made a decision that independent and accurate news is what it will foster and promote U.S. public diplomacy around the world. And if the editorial Firewall is breached and political influence is allowed in the broadcasters, then it diminishes the value proposition of the entire enterprise, which is something that Congress has made very clear that it doesn’t want to have happen.
It’s essential to democracy. It’s essential to promoting, you know, classical liberal values, and individual liberty. And it does so by giving the electorate the information it needs to hold the government accountable and ensure that you’re getting the most optimal policy outcomes.
That kind of fair, down the line, accurate, independent news is something that people around the world can’t get in their home countries. And when the U.S. provides it, it telegraphs the importance of free expression and a free press in the United States to other parts of the world that lack those freedoms.
It provides value to people’s daily lives. You know, you’ll have more accurate information than state-run news on things like natural disasters or other things that are really, kitchen table issues to people living under repressive regimes. And, you know, that’s why, for instance, during the Cold War, the Soviets spent billions of dollars trying to jam signals from Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. It’s just, the fact is that propaganda is of less value to people’s lives, but real news is hugely valuable.
Published
Rottman is the vice president of policy at the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. He's a practicing attorney with a focus on novel issues at the intersection of press freedom, newsgathering and technology.