Surrogate Radio

Earlier, during the Cold War, America sponsored two different kinds of short-wave radio into the Soviet satellite nations, the Voice of America and RadioFree Europe/Radio Liberty. VOA ostensibly told news of America and the world. RFE/RL tried (quite successfully) to broadcast news as if the broadcaster were broadcasting news and culture as if the receiving nation were fully free --- with relative neutrality. We talked of Sakharov and Solzhenitzin.

The same sort of fight is now going on about broadcasting into Iraq. Hardliners are saying it should be very posititive. I think that would lack credibility. There is man in Utah, John Hughes, now publisher (?) of the Deseret Evening News --- who has had unbelievable experience in the field of journalism and broadcasting --- who be ideal to oversee a committee to come to some judgment. He was the Chairman of two Commissions investigating the establishment of what is now called Radio Free Asia.