Andrew Lack, BBG CEORussian state broadcaster RT has made strong objections to a statement made last week by incoming BBG CEO Andy Lack in a New York Times interview.

The New York Times article, “U.S. Seeking a Stronger World Media Voice”, quotes Lack:

“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.”

The New York Times piece also went on to say:

“But I’m less concerned about where the agency is at and more focused on where we are going,” he said. “My hope is that if we are behind Russia and China, and that’s a big if, that will change.”

Margarita Simonyan, RT editor in chiefRT editor in chief Margarita Simonyan responded in an open letter, saying that Lack was trying to “implicitly equate RT, an international news network, with terrorist organisations like Islamic State and Boko Haram.”

Simonyan went on to say: “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”.

RT has official requested a retraction and apology to BBG, the US State Department and the New York Times.

Andy Lack was sworn in last week as the first ever CEO of the US government funded Broadcasting Board of Governors. BBG oversees US government-funded media entities Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio and TV Martí, Radio Free Asia, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. Lack was previously chairman of Bloomberg Media Group. Some have hailed Lack’s appointment as a strategic turning point for the BBG.

BBG and RT are AIB members, as are BBG entities Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Alhurra TV/Radio Sawa.

In a press briefing last week US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki responded to reporter questions about Lack’s statement:

QUESTION: The newly appointed chief executive of the BBG said his agency faces a number of, quote-un-quote, challenges – Russia Today, the Islamic State, and Boko Haram – all in one sentence. Would you call those remarks appropriate or inappropriate?

MS. PSAKI: Well, I think, one, let me note that the Broadcasting Board of Governors is an independent federal agency supervising all U.S. Government-supported civilian international media. I’d certainly point you to them for specifics. I think the broad point is the U.S. Government – would the U.S. Government put those three in the same category? No, we wouldn’t. However, there are concerns, I think, that our – we agree with in terms of the fact that the – Russia’s own independent media space is shrinking and the Kremlin continues to apply pressure on the few remaining outlets. And while RT is available to many viewers in the United States – you’re here in the briefing room today – many Russian authorities have curtailed the ability of BBG broadcasters to broadcast there. So those are challenges and certainly concerns that I think the new head of BBG was expressing.

QUESTION: Do you have – just to clarify, do you have any problem with the way he put it?

MS. PSAKI: I think I’d point you to them, and I just stated that wouldn’t be the way that we would state it from here…

QUESTION: How would you state it?

MS. PSAKI: We wouldn’t state it in those terms.

QUESTION: Well, the Secretary of State is a member of the BBG.

MS. PSAKI: Sure. I just stated the concerns we have, which we agree with.

BBG has not yet publicly responded to the RT letter.