USAGM nominee cites N.K. defectors in stressing power of free information

Lead

Sarah Rogers, the nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), told a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday that free information can transform closed societies, citing her encounters with North Korean defectors. Rogers, currently under secretary of state for public diplomacy, pledged to spearhead "truth-telling" efforts if confirmed, while also sharpening the agency's media challenge to China.

Coverage comparison

Reports from Yonhap News Agency and the South China Morning Post both covered Rogers' July 30 confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, though each emphasized different aspects of her testimony. Yonhap focused on Rogers' remarks about North Korean defectors and the power of free information in closed societies, while the South China Morning Post highlighted her pledge to counter Chinese propaganda and expand USAGM into new media formats.

Key claims

• Rogers cited North Korean defectors in her confirmation hearing, vowing to spearhead "truth-telling" efforts if confirmed, as reported by Yonhap.
• Rogers has engaged with North Korean defectors during a visit to South Korea in April, according to Yonhap. She told the committee that defectors said "snippets of American radio were the first hints they heard of another kind of life."
• Rogers leads a workforce of more than 5,000 employees with a US$1 billion budget in her current role, Yonhap reported.
• USAGM plans to expand into short-form videos, podcasts, and diaspora group chats, Rogers said at the hearing, according to the South China Morning Post.
• Asia will remain a top regional priority for USAGM, alongside Cuba and the Middle East, the South China Morning Post reported Rogers as saying.
• China's propaganda efforts are a problem for USAGM, Rogers said, according to the South China Morning Post. She claimed that Chinese propaganda promotes leftist anti-colonial narratives and antisemitism through automated social media accounts.
• The Trump administration's efforts to dismantle USAGM's operations have weakened the agency, the South China Morning Post reported, noting that around 1,000 VOA employees were placed on paid administrative leave.

Perspectives

Sarah Rogers (nominee, USAGM): Rogers emphasized the transformative power of free information, saying at the hearing: "In Seoul, North Korean defectors told me that snippets of American radio were the first hints they heard of another kind of life." She added: "These defectors risked torture and risked death, fleeing toward a freedom they only heard existed here. They heard it from us. That is a great honor, and it's also evidence that Voice of America and our grantees ... can be indispensable instruments of American foreign policy." Rogers also stressed that "truth-telling" is what USAGM is for, and vowed to lead that effort if confirmed.

U.S. Agency for Global Media (under Rogers): Rogers said at the hearing that USAGM would expand beyond traditional news formats into short-form videos, diaspora group chats, podcasts, and other timely forms of engagement, with Asia remaining the agency's top regional priority.