BBG Chairman Kenneth Y. Tomlinson’s Testimony Before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary And Related Agencies
Testimony of
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, Chairman
Broadcasting Board of Governors before the
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary
And Related Agencies
Committee on Appropriations
April 1, 2004
Mr. Chairman and members of the Committee, we greatly appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today to talk about the FY ’05 budget request for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and to highlight some of the BBG’s accomplishments in the past few years. I am joined by fellow board member Norman Pattiz, the father of Radio Sawa, and an irrepressible force for international broadcasting.
Middle East Television Network
On February 14 of this year, with the enthusiastic support of President Bush and key leaders of the Administration and Congress, the BBG launched a new Arabic-language television network called “Alhurra” (“The Free One” in Arabic). Even before this station went on the air, it was heavily criticized in the Arab world as a propaganda arm of the U.S. Government. It has been called a “voice of the CIA” whose aim is to “brainwash Arabs” and described as part of “a long-term plan to dominate the minds and ideas of Iraqis and Arabs”. But Alhurra is none of these things. Its mission is that of all U.S. international broadcasting – to promote and sustain freedom and democracy by broadcasting accurate and objective news and information about the United States and the world.
Through its adherence to Western journalistic standards, through its objective, accurate reporting, Alhurra can gain the credibility we need to build an audience and offer Middle Eastern audiences a new balanced view of world events. While criticism in the Arab press continues, we are connecting with the people – our target audience – and they are sending us hundreds of e-mails to welcome us and urge us forward. “You are much needed to balance biased news controlled by those full of hatred to western world,” reads one. “This is the first step to fight the ‘hate culture’ that feeds terrorism,” says another. “I hope your channel [will help] our Arab brothers . . . to tell the truth from all that is going on.”
In a little more than four months, the BBG established a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Northern Virginia to house Alhurra. Since October some 900,000 feet of cable have been installed in this facility. But what is truly extraordinary is the sea of Middle Eastern faces – newsmen and newswomen – enthusiastically working to make this network a successful model of journalistic standards. Many of these individuals are well known media figures in the Middle East and gave up promising careers overseas to practice journalism with MTN.
President Bush spoke of “open debate” and “truth” when he described what this network can mean to the people of the Middle East. The network will challenge the voices of hate and repression with truth and the voices of tolerance and moderation. Viewers will witness free and open discussions, not just about conflict in the Middle East, but also about subjects critical to that region’s future – economic development, human rights and respect for minorities.
One of Alhurra’s best talk shows involved an Iraqi editor-in-chief from Baghdad who revealed documents and receipts implicating Arab journalists and academics for taking money from Iraqi intelligence under Saddam. The list of names included a number of highly anti-American writers.
To continue this broadcast effort to the Middle East in FY ’05, we are requesting $45 million for the Middle East Television Network, including Radio Sawa. In addition, we expect to have $7.7 million available from reallocating funds provided through the Emergency Response Fund (ERF) in November 2001 to establish a