Media Watchdog Founder Brent Bozell Nominated to Lead US Agency for Global Media

Brent Bozell, founder and president of the Media Research Center, in Washington on Feb. 6, 2020. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

President Donald Trump has picked Brent Bozell, founder of a conservative nonprofit that exposes bias in U.S. news outlets, to serve as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), the parent of federally owned broadcasters such as Voice of America and Radio Free Europe.

Trump made the announcement in a Jan. 22 post on Truth Social, in which he highlighted Bozell’s advocacy for traditional American values and expressed hope that USAGM would thrive under his leadership.

Bozell founded the Media Research Center, a media watchdog that seeks to expose and counter left-wing bias in national media and popular culture.

“As founder and president of the Media Research Center for 38 years, few understand the global media landscape in print, television, and online better than Brent,” Trump said in the announcement. “He and his family have fought for the American principles of liberty, freedom, equality, and justice for generations, and he will ensure that message is heard by freedom-loving people around the world. Brent will bring some much-needed change to the U.S. Agency for Global Media.”

If confirmed by the Senate, Bozell will lead an agency with an annual budget of around $900 million that operates networks broadcasting in more than 60 languages and around 100 countries. USAGM oversees broadcasters like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and Radio Free Asia, which aim to provide accurate, uncensored news in regions lacking free press.

USAGM’s overarching mission—reinforced by those of the individual broadcasters it oversees—is to “inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.” In fiscal year 2024, the networks the agency oversees reached a worldwide audience of 427 million people, a record high.

Former USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett resigned before Trump’s inauguration.

Following Trump’s announcement, Bozell took to social media to express gratitude for the nomination and say he is eager to meet with senators ahead of his confirmation “to explore how best to ensure the priorities of the President are met.”

“There is lots of work to be done,” Bozell wrote.

Bozell told the Washington Examiner that Trump expects USAGM to prioritize fiscal responsibility and focus on promoting American values such as free speech, free enterprise, and individual and religious freedom.

Last month, Trump named former news anchor and Republican Senate candidate Kari Lake to lead Voice of America. Her appointment is pending majority approval by the International Broadcasting Advisory Board, a panel of Senate-confirmed experts with the power to hire and fire the heads of agencies that fall under the auspices of the USAGM. The advisory panel consists of seven seats—three Democratic and three Republican appointees, plus the U.S. Secretary of State.

Lake, who was a longtime Arizona television journalist before entering politics, discussed her priorities for the agency in a recent interview with The Epoch Times.

“I think President Trump chose me because he knows that I will make sure that we’re not putting out a fake news product,” she said. Lake emphasized she wants to prevent messaging that aligns with the propaganda put out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—as well as CCP influence more broadly—from creeping into VOA.

She also pledged unbiased, editorially independent coverage and expressed eagerness to consult with the Department of Government Efficiency project to find cost savings at VOA.