BIG CHANGES ARE COMING TO THE “VOICE OF AMERICA” • “KIDS THESE DAYS” PODCAST DEBUTS TODAY

According to a report in The Washington Post [link], the Trump administration has installed new management at the Voice of America (VOA).

Michael Pack, a Trump loyalist and former CEO of the conservative Claremont Institute, has been chosen to head the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which now oversees VOA.

On Monday (6/15) the top two editors at VOA – Director Amanda Bennett and Deputy Director Sandy Sugawara – resigned rather than work for Pack.

Since the VOA was founded in 1942 during World War Two, it has been an independent news organization that provides fact-based reporting for listeners in countries without credible local news sources. VOA is funded by the U.S. government and is prohibited from airing partisan domestic political content.

But that may change when Pack takes over at VOA. President Trump said recently that VOA is “taking China’s side” and calls VOA a "disgrace."

Michael Pack

According to the report in The Post, Pack is an associate of Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former chief strategist. 

Trump has publicly praised Park. But, there are questions about Pack’s role in alleged financial improprieties at his nonprofit film production company.

Pack is no stranger to public media. In 2002, President Bush nominated Pack to serve of the National Council on the humanities, the overseer of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

From 2003–2006, Pack served as Senior Vice President for Television Programming at CPB.

MICHIGAN RADIO LAUNCHES KIDS THESE DAYS PODCAST SERIES

Michigan Radio’s Peabody Award-winning podcast team will premiere a new podcast series about teenagers by teenagers today (Wednesday, 6-17). 

The nine episodes in the limited series will run weekly through August 12. 

The first episode concerns race relations in our schools. It will be followed with an additional episode each Wednesday through August 12, 2020. 

Kids These Days gives an insider’s perspective on what young people are really thinking about, laughing about, and stressing about right now. To produce the series, Michigan Radio collaborated with Community High School in Ann Arbor.

Mazey Perry

Because there are so many stereotypes about Generation Z, Kids These Days goes right to the source to bring listeners an unfiltered look into teenage life. Future Kids These Days topics will range from vaping, to questions about sex and identity, to the social and school disruptions caused by COVID-19.

The host for Kids These Days is Mazey Perry, a Journalism student at Community High School. She is a member of 2020.

You can see and hear a YouTube demo of Kids These Days at this link.