America Can’t Surrender its Voice in the Middle East
The Middle East Broadcasting Networks’ (MBN) journalism counters anti-American narratives in a difficult and strategic region.
For twenty years, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN)—one of four Congressionally authorized platforms funded by the United States Agency for Global Media—has told America’s story in Arabic so that tens of millions of people in the Middle East could access reliable journalism. The administration’s decision to shutter MBN has the regional enemies of America celebrating:
“With a stroke of Trump’s pen, he shuts down Alhurra TV,” shouts one. “These mercenaries who were American mouthpieces. Their main concern was barking at Iran. The axis of resistance and the popular mobilization.”
Alhurra TV, MBN’s satellite TV channel, broadcasts daily from the United States, bringing Arabic-language news about America and Americans to a region thirsty for accurate coverage. On an annual budget equivalent to the cost of two Apache helicopters, the United States has had a direct platform to millions of viewers in the region. MBN’s journalists also cover news throughout the region, without the gloss of censorship or bias of its competitors.
The Middle East is tough terrain. I should know. I’ve served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Kuwait, as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Much of the Middle Eastern conversation—Arabs talking to Arabs in Arabic, much of it via state-sponsored television—is intensely hostile towards the United States, filled with hate and false information about Israel, and biased against Christians and other religious minorities. This is not so with MBN’s television channels and digital platforms.
American taxpayers can be proud of what MBN has done to advance U.S. interests. MBN’s journalism counters anti-American narratives and forms a thorn in the side of America’s adversaries. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terror groups detest Alhurra for a reason.
This is no time for America to surrender unilaterally. We cannot afford to yield the Middle Eastern media space to those who want to destroy us, recruit converts to their cause, and attack the American values that offer a beacon of hope for a more stable and secure region.
Under the fiscally conservative leadership of CEO Jeff Gedmin, MBN restructured last fall, saving the American taxpayers nearly $20 million by streamlining operations, closing bureaus, parting with 160 employees, and reducing its workforce by 21 percent.
MBN’s leaders are wise stewards of resources, committed to oversight and accountability, passionate about savings, efficiency, and effectiveness. MBN leans into reform, transformation, and adaptation.
I know—I have the honor of serving as the chairman of MBN’s board of directors. I’ve watched MBN become leaner and stronger.
Yet that progress is now in doubt. In mid-March, the White House issued a new Executive Order drastically limiting the power of several government agencies, including MBN’s parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media. Administration officials have tried to cancel grants to MBN and its sister entities, zeroing in on our budgets. As a result, the future for MBN is now very uncertain.
Let’s be clear: this abrupt closure will result in tens of millions of dollars in wasteful spending (unplanned shutdowns are expensive), cede critical ground in the Middle Eastern conversation, and be a boon to our adversaries (Russia, China, Iran) who are increasing funding for their propaganda platforms to take advantage of our absence. All of this would be a tragedy, because when it comes to the Middle East, America has a vital story to tell—and vital interests at stake.
Ambassador Ryan Crocker is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
Image: Alones / Shutterstock.com.