Kari Lake said she has no plans to turn the government-funded Voice of America news channel into “MAGA TV” but wants to see a return of politically neutral journalism.
“I’m sure they’re already doing good things. I’ve looked a little bit here and there,” Lake said in an interview with CBS News on Saturday. “I’m not here to make Trump TV and MAGA TV. That’s not what Voice of America is about.”
Lake, a former broadcast journalist who unsuccessfully ran for governor and United States Senate seat in Arizonais the choice of President-elect Donald Trump selection to lead international broadcaster.
VOA, part of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, broadcasts international news in 49 languages on radio, television and online to an estimated audience of 354 million people per week, according to its website. It is managed by an independent federal agency.
Lake sharply criticized non-conservative media Saturday during his remarks on stage at AmericaFest, a political gathering in Phoenix organized by the far-right group Turning Point USA, saying that “fake news – the mainstream media – have become obsolete.”
“They’re good for one thing,” she told the crowd. “It’s kind of like a barometer. If you see fake news attacking someone, what you need to do is say: I need to support this person.”
In an interview later Saturday, she told CBS News she would like to make sure VOA staff have the resources they need to “be the incredible journalists they are supposed to be.”
Asked about her plans for changes to the newsroom, Lake said, “Well, I have to go in there and see what happens.” She then indicated that she wanted to expand her coverage.
“We speak to the world through Voice of America,” she said. “And I actually want to provide more coverage, more product, if you will, more circulation, and make sure that they’re doing really quality, top-notch broadcasting, and focusing on great journalism, posing questions and make sure journalists know they are independent journalists.
Lake responded to concerns from some that she might politicize the news organization by saying she didn’t care whether reporters were Democrats or Republicans, but whether they could set aside their opinions.
“I’ve never met anyone — they may say they’re neutral, but I’ve never really met anyone who hasn’t formed beliefs,” Lake said. “It’s natural. It’s normal. As a journalist, can you check that while you’re covering the news? To publish a fair and accurate assessment. And that’s what I’m going to push for.”
Lake revealed that she thought people would realize that she was not the person portrayed by the “corporate media.”
“Sometimes I feel like I have to go out there, when I meet people, to prove that I don’t have horns growing out of my head, because the mainstream media has called me names so dishonest,” she said. “And that’s one thing I identify with a lot with President Trump. The worst things have been said about us.”
Lake also acknowledged that Trump could not unilaterally appoint her to the position – that decision was up to a bipartisan board this should remove the current director and approve a new one.
VOA reported last week that its current director, Mike Abramowitz, said in an email to staff that he welcomed a “smooth transition of power.”
