Advertisement
Purge on Joe Biden’s first day as president
- Biden administration clears decks of Trump appointees
- Global broadcasting chief quits amid VOA staff revolt
Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
18
At least four Trump appointed officials were fired, told to resign or placed on administrative leave on Joe Biden’s first day as US president.
One of them, former president’s Donald Trump’s hand-picked chief of US international broadcasting quit amid a burgeoning staff revolt and growing calls for his resignation.
Michael Pack resigned as the chief executive office of the US Agency for Global Media just minutes after Biden was inaugurated on Wednesday. The agency runs the Voice of America and sister networks.
Advertisement
Pack had created a furore when he took over the agency last year and fired the boards of all the outlets under his control along with the leadership of the individual broadcast networks. The actions were criticised as threatening the broadcasters’ prized editorial independence.
Biden had been expected to make major changes to the agency’s structure and management but Pack’s early departure signalled those may be coming sooner rather than later.
Shortly after his departure the Biden White House announced that a veteran VOA journalist, Kelu Chao, would helm USAGM in on an interim basis.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Select Speed
1.00x