Kari Lake said she has no intention of turning the publicly funded news channel Voice of America into “MAGA TV,” but that she wants to see a return of politically neutral journalism.
“I’m sure they’re already doing great things. I’ve been looking around here and there,” Lake said in an interview with CBS News on Saturday. “I’m not here to make it Trump TV and MAGA TV. That’s not what this is about. That is not what Voice of America is.”
Lake, a former journalist who unsuccessfully ran for governor United States Senate seat in Arizonabelongs to newly elected President Donald Trump selection to lead the international broadcaster.
VOA, part of the US Agency for Global Media, broadcasts international news in 49 languages on radio, television and online to an audience of an estimated 354 million people per week, according to its website. It is administered by an independent federal agency.
Lake was sharply critical of non-conservative media on Saturday during remarks on stage at AmericaFest, a political rally in Phoenix organized by the far-right group Turning Point USA, saying that “the fake news – the mainstream media – has just become outdated.”
“They’re only good for one thing,” she told the crowd. “They are a kind of barometer. When you see the fake news attacking someone, you have to say: I have to support that person.”
In an interview later Saturday, she told CBS News that she wanted to make sure VOA employees have the tools to be “the incredible journalists they need to be.”
Asked about her plans for changes in the newsroom, Lake said, “Well, I’ve got to get out there and see what’s going on.” She then indicated that she wants to expand coverage.
“We are talking to the world through Voice of America,” she said. “And I actually want to put out more reporting, more products, if you will, more broadcasts, and make sure that they’re really doing quality, top-notch broadcasts and focusing on great journalism, asking questions and making I’m sure that the journalists know that they are independent journalists.”
Lake responded to concerns among some that she could politicize the news organization by saying she doesn’t care whether the reporters are Democrats or Republicans, but rather whether they can put their opinions aside.
“I’ve never met anyone — they can say they’re neutral, but I’ve never really met anyone who hasn’t formed beliefs,” Lake said. “It’s normal. It’s normal. As a journalist, can you check this while reporting the news? To give a fair and accurate assessment. And I’m going to push for that.”
Lake revealed that she thinks people will realize that she is not the person the “corporate media” has portrayed.
“Sometimes when I meet people I feel like I have to prove that I have no horns coming out of my head because the mainstream media has put such an unfair number on me,” she said. “And that’s something that I deal with a lot with President Trump. The worst things have just been said about us.”
Lake also acknowledged that Trump cannot unilaterally appoint her to the position; that decision rests with a bipartisan board that would have to fire the current director and approve a new one.
VOA reported last week that current director Mike Abramowitz said in an email to staff that he welcomed “a smooth transition of power.”
