In an interview with the New York Times, Lack, who was sworn in this week as the first chief executive of the BBG, grouped RT with militants who have committed atrocious human-rights violations throughout the world.
“We are facing a number of challenges from entities like Russia Today which is out there pushing a point of view, the Islamic State in the Middle East and groups like Boko Haram,” he said. “But I firmly believe that this agency has a role to play in facing those challenges.”
— RT (@RT_com) January 23, 2015
RT was shocked to find itself on a list with the two of the most dangerous terrorist groups in the world, and is seeking clarification on the comment.
"RT is outraged that the new head of the BBG, which in essence represents the US Department of State and thus the United States Government, expressed such views, and that the US’ “newspaper of record” published these remarks without any challenge or attempt to provide balance in their report," said Margarita Simonyan, RT’s editor-in-chief.
“RT demands immediate retraction of the aforementioned statement, and an apology and an explanation from the US State Department, the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the New York Times as to why RT, a news organization that provides a fresh perspective on the events in the world, was put in the same sentence with extremist, terrorist groups that had taken thousands of lives."
Lack previously served as the president of NBC News, among other posts during a career as a notable media executive.
Many staffers and foreign policy experts say the often-criticized BBG struggles as rival broadcasters, such as RT, have grown to gain a significant American presence, the New York Times reported.
In 2011, then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told Congress that U. S. media had been surpassed by foreign-sponsored alternative outlets, and cited RT specifically.
“We are in an information war and we are losing that war…. The Russians have opened up an English-language network; I’ve seen it in a few countries and it’s quite instructive,” she said.
Since 2007, the BBG has been at or near the bottom in the Best Places to Work in Government Survey, the paper reported.
The BBG is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government. It supervises all U.S. government-sponsored civilian international media, such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Free Asia.
According to its website, the BBG’s mission is to “inform, engage and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.”
*Margarita Simonyan is also the editor-in-chief of Sputnik.
