The United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) on Friday named Michael Abramowitz as the new permanent director of Voice of America.
In an email to staff, USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett said Abramowitz, a former journalist and current president of the Freedom House think tank, will take over in the coming months.
“I am sure that many, if not most of you, know him for the remarkable work that Freedom House has led in defense of democracy and human rights, and especially in the defense and promotion of freedom of expression and of the press around the world,” Bennett said in his email.
Abramowitz has been president of Freedom House since 2017. A graduate of Harvard University, he began his career at The Washington Post newspaper, where he worked for 24 years. He also worked on genocide prevention and Holocaust education for eight years at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“Through this experience, you have a deep understanding of the same work to which we have all dedicated our lives and careers,” Bennett said in his email.
Abramowitz is expected to begin his role at VOA in early summer. In a video message to staff, he said it is an honor to have been appointed.
“This is a historic institution that has an incredible history and, above all, an incredible mission,” he said.
“The mission is deeply inspiring to me: the idea that every day we provide authoritative, fair and complete news and information to large parts of the world with a large audience. And for many people, VOA is the only source of that type of information that they have,” Abramowitz said.
Bennett herself served as head of VOA from 2016 to 2020, when she resigned following the congressional confirmation of conservative filmmaker Michael Pack to lead USAGM.
Appointed by then-President Donald Trump, Pack's time as head of USAGM was marked by lawsuits and whistleblower complaints. He resigned when Joe Biden became president, and an independent investigation later determined that Pack repeatedly abused power and committed serious misconduct, including attempts to editorially interfere.
After his departure, Congress added checks and balances to USAGM's CEO role, including the hiring and firing of network chiefs.
Abramowitz will be the first official director of VOA since the brief tenure of Pack appointee Robert Reilly, who held the position from December 2020 to January 2021.
After Reilly's firing, VOA was led by interim director Yolanda López from 2021 until her resignation in September 2023, and current incumbent John Lippman.
In a statement, Abramowitz said he is looking forward to working at VOA given the worrying rate of misinformation coming from authoritarian governments around the world.
“VOA is a bulwark for truth and press freedom, and I am excited to take the helm of this organization and work alongside its talented journalists and staff. Together we will win the information war,” he stated.
Freedom House issued a statement on Friday in which it thanked Abramowitz for his leadership.
“For the better part of a decade, Mike has been the driving force behind Freedom House's growing success, establishing a vision for the organization that amplified its effectiveness in the fight for freedom around the world,” said Jane Harman, co-president. of the Freedom House board of directors.
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