About Us

April 15th 05, 12:53 PM

Voice of America to move part of news division to Hong Kong
By Shane Harris

Voice of America, the international broadcasting service funded by the
U.S. government, is shutting down the overnight shift of its central
news division in Washington and replacing it with a new workforce in
Hong Kong, which will be comprised partly of contractors.

News division employees were informed of the decision last Thursday
and learned that overnight employees would take new jobs on the
daytime and evening rotations, with a considerable decrease in salary,
said Ted Iliff, the agency's associate director for central
programming.

Iliff, who oversees VOA's news operations, said the move was prompted
in part by budgetary concerns, and he bristled at the notion that the
agency was "outsourcing" jobs to China, as the America Federation of
Government Employees, the union that represents VOA, has charged.

"Outsourcing means a loss of jobs," Iliff said. "Nobody [on the news
staff] is losing a job." He said the agency was eyeing a plan to hire
10 new reporters in Hong Kong, half of whom would be contractors and
would receive no federal benefits. The remaining five would have the
status of VOA employees, but would receive fewer benefits than
full-time workers.

VOA could save at least $300,000 annually by moving the night shift to
Hong Kong, where the agency has a news center, Iliff said. The
transition also would place a contingent of reporters in an area of
the world where VOA devotes significant news coverage now, Iliff
added.

The move will likely prove unpopular with U.S.-based employees on the
night shift and others in the VOA news division. The night shift is
considered one of the toughest and least desirable slots, because of
its unusual schedule, but employees are paid a bonus of approximately
10 percent of their regular salary, Iliff said.

VOA employees are reacting "with anger," said one news division
staffer, who asked not to be identified. Of the 10 employees who will
now have to adjust to lower pay and different hours, the staffer said,
"They feel like their world has been turned upside down."

Iliff emphasized that the Hong Kong move would free up money for the
agency to invest elsewhere, perhaps to beef up VOA's online reporting
and television broadcasting. And, he said, the move was motivated in
part by the difficulty of filling slots on the overnight shift.

But the decision also has exposed the cantankerous relationship
between VOA management and employees, some of whom suspect that
officials want to scale back the agency's English news operations in
favor of other initiatives, the VOA staffer said.

"There's a perception here, and it's constantly being denied...that
the present management at VOA is trying to do away with the English
section," the staffer said. "This really shows me that nothing is
sacred."

Moving a decades-old and renowned institution such as VOA to a country
with no history of a free press and a state-run media is likely to
raise questions. "The irony of transferring our operation to a
communist country is not lost on anyone," the staffer said.

VOA is widely credited as a key instrument in the demise of communism
in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Its programs brought news and
Western entertainment to millions behind the Iron Curtain during the
Cold War. "We're concerned about the credentials of the people who
will be hired" in Hong Kong, the staffer said.

The Hong Kong writers to be hired must speak English and pass language
and writing tests to qualify for the jobs, Iliff said. Their
professional backgrounds will also figure prominently in any hiring
decisions. "They have to be experienced, talented journalists," he
said.

While he hadn't ruled out hiring Chinese journalists, Iliff said they
likely would not meet VOA's hiring standards if they'd worked only for
state-run news organizations. He suggested that a network of British,
American and Australian expatriates in China would comprise a likely
hiring pool, and he added the agency has already spoken to one of its
regular freelance reporters who is interested in working for VOA in
Hong Kong. All résumés and writing tests would be reviewed by
management in Washington, he said.

The Hong Kong staff would be supervised by two American editors, Iliff
said. One would be based in the news center and the other would work
from VOA headquarters and be present during nighttime hours, he said.
That editor would have final say on news content. VOA's "very strict
standards...will not in any way be diluted or compromised," Iliff
said.

Barring any obstacles, Iliff expects to have the new Hong Kong group
operational in July.

Regarding the animosity between management and the news division,
Iliff said he wasn't surprised by the negative reaction to the Hong
Kong move. "Any change [in VOA operations] is denounced by a core of
VOA diaspora without them knowing the details of what's being planned
and without them understanding contemporary media and business
circumstances," Iliff said.

Iliff didn't know what the reaction of the Chinese government, which
regularly jams VOA broadcasts and Internet traffic, would be to the
increased VOA presence. He said he presumed that the Chinese would
learn about VOA's new plans through the news media.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Communist China’s Ownership of Western media	Li Changchun	Shortwave	0	April 14th 05 03:24 AM
From The Memory Hole	MnMikew	Shortwave	4	December 14th 04 07:16 AM
GRAYLAND 2004 FALL DXPEDITION: Compiled Logs for Oct 15-17 (Part 1)	4nradio	Shortwave	4	November 1st 04 10:44 PM
Chinese Kerry Out: John Kerry's Private Trade Trip to Beijing	Tian Li	Shortwave	0	October 27th 04 12:35 PM

Menu

About Us