David Jackson Named VOA Director
August 29, 2002 — Veteran foreign correspondent and journalist David Jackson has been appointed Director of the Voice of America (VOA) by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).
Jackson’s 23-year career with Time magazine included stints as a correspondent in Cairo and Hong Kong as well as two years as bureau chief in Seoul. He also served as a correspondent, bureau chief or senior correspondent in the magazine’s bureaus in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
He began his journalism career as a reporter for the Chicago Daily News in 1974. He joined Time in the Chicago bureau in 1978 and was sent on a special assignment to Iran to cover the Islamic revolution. Last year he retired from Time and took a post as editor-in-chief of DefendAmerica.gov, the Defense Department’s principal website devoted to news about the war against terrorism.
“The Board is delighted to have a journalist of Jackson’s experience to lead VOA in a period when it must play an important role in presenting the truth about what is happening in the world,” said Kenneth Tomlinson, the BBG’s newly confirmed chairman.
Jackson replaces Robert Reilly, who announced his resignation today “to seek opportunities in which I can more directly employ my talents in helping support the President and this Administration in the war against international terrorism.”
Reilly said he would remain with VOA for a period of time to help the new director and new BBG chairman during the transition.
In accepting Reilly’s resignation, Tomlinson said the BBG appreciated Reilly’s stewardship as VOA director during the events following September 11.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity to join such a respected organization, and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow journalists to carry on and enhance VOA’s worldwide reputation,” Jackson said. He also announced that Marie Skiba, currently the acting director of VOA’s television service, will serve as VOA chief of staff during the transition.
The Voice of America, which first went on the air on February 24, 1942, is a multimedia international broadcasting service funded by the U.S. Government. VOA broadcasts more than 1,000 hours of news, information, educational and cultural programming every week to a worldwide audience of 94 million people. Programs are produced in English and 52 other languages.
The BBG supervises all U.S. non-military international broadcasting, including the Voice of America (www.voanews.com), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (www.rferl.org), Radio Free Asia (www.rfa.org) and Radio/TV Marti (www.martinoticias.com).
For more information, contact: Joan Mower (202.260.0167 or 202.401.3736), jmower@ibb.gov, or www.bbg.gov