Federally-Funded Video on Islamist Terror Labeled Dangerous for America and Civilians Abroad

"Corrupt journalism has proven to be the leverage tyranny relies upon to make evil confusing and tolerable."





6.21.2016 News Truth Revolt

Blanquita Cullum, a journalist and former presidentially-appointed Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) member lashed out at a recent Voice of America video on Islamist terrorism, calling it “flawed, lazy, corrupted and wrong,” as well as dangerous for the United States and innocent civilians abroad.

Cullum (pictured in thumbnail) was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the Senate, and was BBG Governor from 2002 to 2010. She criticized a federally-funded video by the Voice of America titled, “Pitting Islam Versus Islamism in the Wake of Orlando,” which she says poorly questions “what constitutes terrorism by Islamic extremists.”

Cullum notes:

This VOA piece fails to include the endless list of brutal attacks by Islamic extremists in Europe and the Middle East and the horrific conditions it imposes on populations in territory it controls.

She continues:

What causes the death of freedom? It is compromised, flawed and politically correct journalists and journalistic entities who denigrate the truth based on political bias and not facts. History has showed us that corrupt journalism has proven to be the leverage tyranny relies upon to make evil confusing and tolerable. Who do the masses trust when reporting is flawed, lazy, corrupted and wrong?

As for VOA:

How is it that biases have taken the place of balanced and thorough reporting? Where are the editorial controls and oversight? Who produced this piece, since it lacks attribution on VOA’s Facebook page?

Cullum goes on to wonder if VOA Director Amanda Bennett and BBG CEO John Lansing "find this piece acceptable for a U.S. government website funded by the American taxpayer."

There are many serious problems at the Voice of America. This piece is indicative of the depth of those problems and the dangers this agency now poses through lack of balanced reporting which in turn results in confusion, disinformation, misinformation and a selective, narrow and superficial view of issues.

BBG Watch, a watchdog organization, quoted former Voice of America acting associate director, journalist and writer Ted Lipien as saying that the video "overlooks or glances over other highly material facts when comparing relatively rare racist-inspired terrorism in the U.S. with Islamist terrorism in the U.S. and abroad,” and reminds readers that Voice of America has been active in campaigning against the Republican nominee for President, Donald Trump.

As BBG Watch notes,

These overlooked facts would include countless suicide bombings against innocent civilians; genocide of Yazidis and Christians; slavery of women; executions of children and by children; mass rapes; crucifixions; throwing homosexuals from rooftops; rocket attacks on civilian targets in Israel; and knife attacks on Israeli men and women, Lipien, who is one of the co-founders of BBG Watch, pointed out.

The BBG Board includes Secretary of State John Kerry, Board chairman Jeff Shell, a Democrat nominated by President Obama, and Michael Kempner of MWWPR, a Hillary Clinton top fundraiser.

Federally-Funded Video on Islamist Terror Labeled Dangerous for America and Civilians Abroad