U.S. International Broadcasting Should Not Engage in Propaganda: Condoleezza Rice Says the U.S. Should Get Out the Truth and Engage in the War of Ideas - Not in Propaganda

Comments by National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing, January 18, 2005.

Condoleezza Rice insisted that Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Radio and Television Marti should not engage in propaganda but should instead concentrate on getting the truth out and be more effective in winning the war of ideas. In questioning Dr. Rice, Senator George Allen (R-VA) also said that U.S. international broadcasts should not engage in propaganda. The Broadcasting Board of Governors, according to Senator Allen, should find a more effective way of communicating ideas than through playing music. This was an indirect criticism of Radio Sawa and al Hurra television, both of which place heavy emphasis on music and entertaniment as a way of attracting a mass audience. Although he was not very specific, Senator Allen was questioning whether this was the most effective way of changing attitudes and perceptions in the Middle East. The balance between entertaining programming and programming capable of changing people's views is always a difficult one to achieve.

 

SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R-VA): And you referenced Truman, President Truman and Acheson and so forth and 1947 to 1949, and that is fine; that was the beginning of the Cold War. I will say, though, that President Ronald Reagan and George Schultz and Cap Weinberger and that administration were the ones who changed that dynamic of the Cold War from one of containment and coexistence to the advancement of freedom. And some criticized President Reagan for calling the Soviet Union, in my view rightfully, the "evil empire." They criticized him for going to the Brandenburg Gate and telling Mr. Gorbachev to tear down that wall. But that's actually what did happen, and because of that there are now hundreds of millions of people tasting that sweet nectar of liberty in Central Europe who are friends and allies not just in the war on terror, but also economically thanks to that leadership. One of the things that was key in those years was Voice of America and Radio Free Europe. Presently there's still Radio and TV Marti insofar as Cuba's concerned. One of the concerns that I have presently insofar as the Arab world and more particularly Iraq is we may grouse about what TV stations people may watch or what radio they may listen to. There are so many satellite dishes that you see in Iraq. I would like to get your views -- and Senator Biden brought this up in his opening statement, just a glancing blow of it. But what is your view of what we can do with the broadcast -- the Board of Broadcasting Governors to find a way of -- not propaganda, not music, but just facts about the United States, our motivation, or just the concepts of freedom so that the people of Iraq and others in the Arab world have a fair and balanced view of the United States and our purposes and the concepts of individual liberty?

MS. RICE: Well, we really do have to enhance our efforts, I think, in
getting our word out, I mean in getting the word out. And I use the word advisably because Radio Free Europe and Voice of America and Radio Marti are about telling the truth, not about propagandizing. And we have to make certain that people that otherwise don't have access to the truth receive it. We also have to make certain that people who are hearing what is sometimes just incredibly amazing propaganda and lies about our policy have alternative sources of information. And so I would expect that, as a part of a broad public diplomacy effort which I really want to emphasize, I think this is something that we really have to pay attention to.We've done some good things. We've done some good things with Al Hurra, which is the Arab-language television satellite station. We have done some good things with Radio Farda and Radio Sawa. Obviously, we've done some good things with Radio Marti and TV Marti. But there is, perhaps, in this war of ideas nothing more important than getting out the truth. And so I look forward to working with the Broadcasting Board of Governors, respecting the line that is there that has been observed between the State Department and the board, but recognizing that if we're going to win the war of ideas, then we're going to have to really compete on the playing field a lot better than
we're competing right now. I think it's broadcasting, but I also look forward to broadening our exchanges and our efforts to get people here so that they know what America is about. Some of our student exchanges have been probably our most valuable policies. I remember sitting in many places where the prime minister or the economics minister or the foreign minister were people who studied in the United States, and they obviously have a different view of us. So I can't think of a more important task.

SEN. ALLEN: Well, count me as one who's going to want to work with you to make sure that we're getting news and information out to people in those areas. And we actually don't have the same problems we have with jamming, say, to Cuba, or what -- the former Soviet Union in that regard.