Comments on: Setting the Record Straight on Voice of America

By: Kian Kiani

Kian Kiani — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:37:06 +0000

Hey Mrs. Clinton,

What happened to the promise by demorats to get rid of crooks in the government?
Why don’t you look into the affairs of Voice of America?
The same crooks and pims are still working in Persian Service.
How much more evidences you need to clean your own department?

By: Dr Koskesh

Dr Koskesh — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:41:24 +0000

I still do not understand why the above people waste their time posting anger and frustration on this colum !
Now that the Democrates have taken office, Liz Cheney will obviously be promptly removed from her priviledged position and so will follow her remaining crew …

By: Kumars Ahadpour

Kumars Ahadpour — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:18:43 +0000

I would desperately like to get your attention to the state of situation in our country at the time that the presidency of George Bush and his gang came to the end.
The appointees of this administration are mostly corrupt, crooks and indifferent to the prestige of our country.

I did try to present my views to the President Bush with no avail.The result is the historical low rate of approval among the Americans and failure in diplomacy globally. One of place what I have firsthand experience is Voice of America where the corruption, kickback and scandal have become well-known throughout of the world.The former head of International Broadcasting Bureau, Mr. Glassman, for example, was nothing but fabricator and crook who was reporting positive progress while everything was in disaster form.He finally got promotion and moved to the State Department just by fraud and lie.The Persian Service of Voice of America is even in worse shape.Do you believe if I tell you that the ideology of communism is publicized from this service?…Probably not. But that is true and I have the prove in writing.Do you believe if I inform you that programs are sold and bribery is common act by the management of the Persian Service in Voice of America where huge amount of moneys are exchange to let various groups use the TV, Radio and the web free of charge for their own interest? …Certainly not but this is true as well and I have documents to prove that. Some of these groups are labeled as terrorists by the State Department which supposed to control VOA.These matters are known to the State Department authorities but nothing has been done to correct them because all what is important for them is the hefty pay check.Please please, for the sake of our country and your own reputation do something. It is not late to purge those crooks who have sold the prestige of the country and have created chaos in the world.

By: Kumars Ahadpour

Kumars Ahadpour — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 03:45:58 +0000

The reality is that Kambiz Mahmoudi, a crook who stole money from CIA when working in Radio Nejat is nothing but a pimp and puppet for Sheila Gandji.
They match each other quite good: One who rose to becaome director of division(thanks God she has finally demoted) by all means including sleeping with former head of IBB.
And the other one (Mahmoudi) a crook and charlatan. What a fantastic harmony

By: hashem

hashem — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 20:45:33 +0000

The alegation that half of 70 million Iranians are none Persian is as odd as the entire content of the article criticising VOA. I wonder where from the writer has gathred that incorrect statitics. And for the Monarchists tendecy in Iran, please take a trip to Iran. But be ware that you may not be permitted to go out & wors you may land up in Evin Prison.
Hashem

By: Nastaran

Nastaran — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 05:25:03 +0000

This smacks of nothing more than the same story that has crippled Iranian opposition throughout the years in exile; this kind of approach is the exact reason why Iranian immigrants have ghetto’ized’ themselves and it’s the stuff that makes them not be taken seriously, as activist or simple opposition member on the international political scene. These two writers speak for no one but themselves. Some of the people that these amateur writers have mentioned are extremely decent people and their abject attack on these people is the sign of that “paralysis of the exile” and the hyper-emotionalism that thrives among the diaspora. Anyhow this is extremely flaky “analysis” and frankly, I’m shocked you guys would put this stuff up and pretend that it’s some kind of strong voice emanating from a larger Iranian opposition.

By: Daniel

Daniel — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 00:18:33 +0000

VOA Persian Service’s programming appears to be determined by whatever well-funded lobbying group has sufficient power on Capitol Hill, rather than a reflection of the various democratic tendencies within Iran. Money counts in this business, not democracy. Consequently, the monarchists – with their financial clout – are disproportionately represented in VOA’s broadcasts to Iran compared to less wealthy groups. It appears from the evidence presented that the agenda is set by them, the guests are chosen by them and a false dichotomy is set up between monarchy and theocracy. Democratic currents based on ethnicity are derided as “separatist”, when they evidently are not.

I have some news for VOA’s bosses. Nobody is calling for a return to monarchy in Iran. Perhaps they dare not, perhaps they think the monarchy is now irrelevant (after all, most Iranians were born after the Islamic revolution) or perhaps they simply do not want the Pahlavis back. But it is clear that ethnic minority rights have a growing constituency in Iran, where at least half the population is non-Persian, and are as much a part of the democratic trends in Iran as the brave students, trade unionists, women and human rights activists standing up to tyranny. If VOA wants to be relevant to Iranians, it needs to reflect this. If it just wants to be led by the wealthiest Iranian exiles, then it is failing in meeting the requirements of its charter and perhaps the considerable amounts of public money set aside for VOA’s Persian Service would be better spent elsewhere: interactive grassroots media, for example.