Last month, U.S. government-backed international broadcasting entered controversial territory with the confirmation of Michael Pack as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

The leadership of USAGM, the organization supervising U.S. government-funded broadcasters including Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, was crucial because the U.S. Congress had set up USAGM to replace the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). This bipartisan nine-member board acted as a firewall against political interference in U.S. international broadcasting but was frequently found incapable of taking decisive actions.

By replacing the BBG with