top of page
state dept seal.jpg
Michael Pack: About Me
pack_edited.jpg

MICHAEL PACK

CEO, US Agency for Global Media
2020-2021

VOA REPORTERS SAY TRUMP APPOINTEE PUTS JOURNALISTS AT RISK

Aug 31, 2020

"He has ordered the firing of contract journalists, with no valid reason, by cancelling their visas, forcing them back to home countries where the lives of some of them may be in jeopardy," the letter said.

The reporters also cited Pack's remarks on a recent podcast posted on the conservative website The Federalist, in which he joked about shutting off air conditioning and prohibiting masks in VOA's building in Washington amid a global pandemic.

Just as concerning are Mr. Pack's public comments, including bantering with a podcast host about turning off the air conditioning and banning masks inside VOA's headquarters, as part of his effort to "drain the swamp."

JUDGE BARS TRUMP APPOINTEE FROM INTERFERING IN VOICE OF AMERICA

November 21, 2020

Pack, a conservative filmmaker and previous associate of former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, was confirmed to his position in June.


Since then, he has been accused of interfering in VOA’s coverage, including calling for an investigation into a July video report on President-elect Joe Biden that he dubbed to be “pro-Biden”.

Pack had also allegedly sought to purge leadership at several VOA sister operations, including Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks and the Open Technology Fund, which aims to provide secure internet access to people around the world.

VOICE OF AMERICA CEO ACCUSED OF FRAUD, MISUSE OF OFFICE ALL IN ONE WEEK

Already, two judges have ruled that Pack acted illegally in office. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which investigates federal whistleblowers' complaints, concluded that he probably did so in a separate instance. Pack has instigated investigations of journalists for purported anti-Trump bias; withheld visa extension for journalists who are foreign citizens, requiring their return to their home countries; and sought to erase regulations that insulate his newsrooms from political interference.

January 8, 2021

TRUMP’S WAR ON THE U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA

January 12, 2021

But this year, Michael Pack—the Trump-appointed CEO of the USAGM—attempted to purge the organization of career officials, censor criticisms of President Trump and withhold congressionally appropriated funding from a subsidiary of the media organization.

AT VOICE OF AMERICA, A SWEEPING OUSTER OF TRUMP OFFICIALS ON BIDEN’S FIRST FULL DAY

January 21, 2021

One VOA journalist said Pack’s resignation triggered “sighs of relief and cheers” among employees. She called Pack’s resignation “a first step toward a return to normalcy.”

Among other actions, Pack declined to renew the expiring visas of foreign journalists who work for VOA, saying that they had not been properly vetted and that the agency could be harboring foreign spies.

He later ordered subordinates to investigate VOA’s chief White House reporter, Steve Herman, for alleged bias in his coverage of Trump. The investigation produced no disciplinary action, but VOA journalists said the investigation itself was an act of intimidation.

Michael Pack: CV
bottom of page