WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) The US House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman and ranking Republican called on Voice of American (VOA) to reinstate the agency's senior White House reporter, who they claim was demoted following an exchange with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week.
"We were incredibly frustrated to hear the Voice of America White House senior correspondent Patsy Widakuswara was demoted from her position after questioning Secretary Pompeo about last week's attack on the Capitol. Absent a legitimate reason for this move, which has not been provided, we believe she should be reinstated," Committee Chair Gregory Meeks and ranking Republican Michael McCaul said in a statement on Tuesday.
The lawmakers warned that Widakuswara's demotion likely violates a firewall established by Congress between top officials at the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and Voice of America.
"This is the United States of America - we do not punish our journalists for seeking answers to their questions. A free and fair press is at the core of our Constitution and our democracy," the statement said.
The lawmakers added that both USAGM and the Voice of America failed to respond to a request to explain why the reporter was demoted.
