Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
In this targeted inspection, OIG reviewed the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s governance structure and mandate; strategic direction and communication; program implementation; and resource management.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made five recommendations to improve executive direction and supervision of U.S. Agency for Global Media in the areas of information and decision management, program implementation, and resource management, including internal controls and workforce issues.
In its comments on the draft report, the agency concurred with the five recommendations. OIG considers all five recommendations resolved. The agency’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The agency’s formal written response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix E.
What OIG Found
- The governance structure in place at the U.S. Agency for Global Media since 2015—led by a Chief Executive Officer supported by a bipartisan board that had transitioned to a more advisory role— significantly improved executive direction of the agency compared to the board-led governance structure in place during OIG’s 2013 inspection.
- Serving concurrently as the board for its three grantee organizations, allowed the agency’s board to meet its responsibilities and mitigate the favoritism problems OIG noted in its 2013 inspection.
- Some provisions in the agency’s governing statute—the International Broadcasting Act of 1994, as amended—relating to future board compensation, composition, and authorities are unclear or inconsistent.
- The Chief Executive Officer respected the broadcasting entities’ editorial independence, but agency personnel expressed concerns that amendments made to the governing statute in 2017 potentially reduced protection for this independence.
- The Chief Executive Officer actively shared his vision and priorities internally and externally; however, not all information reached employees, and the agency’s shifting governance structure since 2015 contributed to employee uncertainty about the agency’s direction.
- The agency lacked a formal system for executive information and decision management.
- The agency did not effectively implement a new procedure for producing Voice of America editorials that present U.S. Government policies.
- The agency took steps to improve its internal controls, but key internal policy and procedural documents were out of date.
- The agency made progress on some persistent workforce issues, including performance management, but still failed to provide annual performance reviews for all employees.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should implement a formal system to solicit, clear, and document information required for efficient executive decision making.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media, in coordination with the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, should develop a clear policy and accompanying standard operating procedures to meet its statutory requirement to present U.S. policy on Voice of America through editorials and other means.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should update policies and procedures in its Broadcasting Administrative Manual.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should enforce its personnel policy for timely completion of annual performance reviews.
The U.S. Agency for Global Media should implement a policy to enforce compliance with mandatory Equal Employment Opportunity and Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation training.