Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Broadcast Policies and Practices and the Board for International Broadcasting Oversight of Radio Programming

Testimony was given on a draft report written in response to a congressional request to evaluate Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) broadcasting procedures and the Board for International Broadcasting's oversight of RFE/RL programming. The guidelines of RFE/RL aim for objective, relevant broadcasts which avoid emotionalism, vindictiveness, belligerency, political bias, and use of unsubstantiated information. Departures from these guidelines can damage their credibility. To enforce the guidelines, RFE/RL management relies foremost on the writers and editors of programs and post broadcast reviews to identify violations. GAO found that the broadcast services were frequently not following existing policies which require that writing and script approval functions be kept separate. In addition, there was not enough staff to perform post broadcast reviews, and violations were not being tracked. Furthermore, there was no senior level focal point to ensure policy compliance. GAO believes that management needs to be involved in programming decisions to ensure corrective action. In 1982, the Board's members assumed corporate responsibilities in addition to their oversight responsibilities, making it difficult for Board members to distinguish between their two roles. GAO found very little documentation relating to Board program oversight activities. Furthermore, GAO found that the Board is not effectively using its staff resources for program oversight and has not provided guidance to its staff on program oversight activities. Finally, GAO believes that the Board's oversight could be enhanced by increased feedback from outside sources, particularly the Department of State.