President-elect Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that Kari Lake, a former Arizona news anchor and fierce ally of Trump, will be the next Director of Voice of America (VOA). The appointment will be finalized by the new head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which oversees VOA, according to Trump.
Lake’s role will involve ensuring that American values of “Freedom and Liberty” are broadcast globally in a manner Trump described as “FAIRLY and ACCURATELY,” countering what he termed as misinformation from traditional media outlets.
Lake is a vocal Trump supporter and prominent MAGA activist. She ran for governor of Arizona in 2022 and lost but remains a strong voice in the conservative movement, running for the U.S. Senate in 2024. In his statement announcing her candidacy, Trump said, “Kari Lake is a fantastic person who has dedicated herself completely to the conservative cause.”.
Voice of America is one of the most influential American-funded networks of media around the globe. The entity broadcasts more than 40 languages using digital platforms, radio, and television with information and cultural programming. Since its advent, there were criticisms received by Voice of America within the Trump administration on its reports on China as well as in the earlier stages when COVID-19 was surfacing.
Lake’s appointment marks another attempt at having VOA content brought up to speed with the vision of the administration. “The new leadership team for the U.S. Agency for Global Media and Voice of America will collaborate to strengthen the spread of information that reflects core American values,” said Trump.
Kari Lake is a broadcaster and, like Trump, has an opinion on the media. She, therefore, could indicate an important change of direction at VOA. The change in direction comes at a very critical time when global media consumption is changing and the U.S. is trying to strengthen its influence in foreign nations.
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