Sarah Rogers, US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and nominee for director of the US Agency for Global Media, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday (local time). [Reuters]
Sarah Rogers, US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and nominee for director of the US Agency for Global Media, testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday (local time). [Reuters]

Sarah Rogers, US undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and nominee to lead the US Agency for Global Media, invoked the stories of North Korean defectors Thursday (local time) to underscore the importance of freedom of expression.

In her opening statement at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing, Rogers described meeting defectors in Seoul during an April visit to South Korea, saying she had "witnessed firsthand the power of free information in a closed society."

USAGM is the federal agency that oversees Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, two US international broadcasters that report on developments inside closed states such as North Korea and China while promoting American values and policy abroad.

"The defectors I met in Seoul told me that fragments of American news were their first glimpse of a different way of life," Rogers said. "They risked torture and death to escape in search of a freedom they had only heard existed."

Rogers, who previously worked as a lawyer defending freedom of expression, said telling the truth is "the reason USAGM exists." She added: "Free people almost always choose America, and the truth sets people free."

USAGM has faced significant disruption since President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year directing the agency to minimize its staffing and functions, a move that temporarily halted operations at both RFA and VOA.

Rogers said the executive order was intended to ensure the agency "does only what Congress has mandated by law — no more, no less," and pledged to focus on improving operational efficiency.

The hearing also featured calls to strengthen US public diplomacy capabilities to counter anti-American propaganda from China, Iran and other adversaries.

Democratic Sen. Jean Shaheen cited polling showing that favorability ratings for the United States and China had flipped since Trump returned to office, saying the administration had "weakened that capacity at a time when we need to be strengthening American influence."

A Pew Research survey released July 15 found that US favorability stood at 36 percent this year while China's reached 46 percent. The survey was conducted between February and May among 42,151 adults in 36 countries, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Rogers told the committee that China spends roughly $40 billion on propaganda and influence-expansion activities. "But the United States continues to win the open information war," she said. "Anyone with a choice will almost always choose America over China."

If confirmed by the Senate, Rogers would serve concurrently as undersecretary of state and USAGM director.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com