A watchdog group is suing Voice of America (VOA) for not responding to 58 Freedom of Information Request Act (FOIA) requests about alleged pro-Islamic bias at the taxpayer-funded agency.
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a non-profit government watchdog, is investigating allegations that VOA was amplifying anti-American and pro-Islamist reporting in Iran, both targeting Iranians in the region and Iranian-Americans.
The Voice of America is an independent arm of the U.S. government. Funded by U.S. taxpayers, the international radio broadcaster and news outlet is operated by the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM). It is responsible for providing objective news and information in 47 languages, including Persian in the nation of Iran.
As the AAF points out in the lawsuit, locals in this region have raised concerns that “VOA has been infiltrated by anti-American, pro-Islamic state interests, and that the message of VOA had been compromised in a manner that was biased toward the Islamic state factions in Iran.”
In a statement to CBN News, Laurie Moy, director of Public Affairs for the USAGM, said the agency “has received and is processing responses to American Accountability Foundation’s FOIA requests.”
“We strenuously object to any suggestion that we are not complying with all valid requests as they come in,” Moy said. “The agency continues to comply with the Freedom of Information Act and seeks to respond to requests in the order they are received.”
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According to the AAF, the organization requested communications between Voice of America staff and individuals in Middle Eastern countries, but the VOA has failed to comply to produce the records which are covered under FOIA.
“Concerns about the VOA were not only voiced by Iranian locals, but also by Iranian-Americans whom the program appears to be targeting,” the watchdog claimed. “Their concerns include biased coverage and using VOA to facilitate immigration visas for individuals close to the Islamic Republic government.”
In a statement posted last month on its website, Iranian Americans for Liberty alleged the VOA is “completely infiltrated and controlled by left wing and progressive activists. The corruption and lack of adequate oversight by USAGM has led to VOA becoming a propaganda arm for various left-wing causes and a campaign arm of the Democratic Party during the U.S. federal elections.”
“Voice of America and USAGM have a history of pushing partisan propaganda and manipulating the visa system to benefit shady foreign nationals,” Tom Jones, AAF founder, said in a statement. “Now, while using American taxpayer dollars, they are openly violating FOIA rules to shield their bad behavior from the public.”
This all comes as the Biden administration considers removing Iran’s Revolutionary Guard from the U.S. terrorism blacklist while trying to convince Iran to accept a new nuclear deal.
The U.S. State Department has listed Iran’s hardline Islamic regime as a State Sponsor of Terrorism since 1984, and Iran’s proxies have been known to target U.S. forces and allies across the Middle East.
The department reports, “Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2020, including support for Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various terrorist and militant groups in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere throughout the Middle East. Iran used the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) to provide support to terrorist organizations, provide cover for associated covert operations, and create instability in the region.”
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