Patsy Widakuswara
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Patsy Widakuswara is a radio and broadcast journalist in the United States who covers the White House and U.S. politics. In 2021, Widakuswara was taken off the White House beat by her employer, Voice of America, after asking then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo if he regretted saying that President Donald Trump would win a second term, which he did not.[1] The incident called into question the integrity of Voice of America, a government broadcaster.[2]
Early life
Widakuswara earned studied International Relations at the University of Indonesia and got a master's in Journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London.[3]
Career
Widakuswara's has worked in broadcasting and radio in Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for since the 1990s.[3] Her work has covered a range of topics, with a focus in recent years on the White House and U.S. politics.
In early 2021, Widakuswara was involved in an high profile incident while covering the Trump administration. The incident occurred at the headquarters of her then-employer Voice of America, where news director Robert R. Reilly interviewed Pompeo but did not ask questions about the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot or his support for Trump, who continued to falsely claim he won the election. Widakuswara asked Pompeo several questions as he left the building. She was, at the time, publicly reprimanded by Reilly who said she "obviously [didn't] know how to behave," and that "she wasn't 'authorized' to be there to ask questions."[1] She was hours later removed from the prestigious White House beat.
The incident became part of a larger conversation around suppression of the press by the Trump Administration. Many organizations engaged with the topic, including NPR,[1] CNN,[2] the Jakarta Post,[4] and the Coalition for Women in Journalism.[5] Additionally, the White House Press Association condemned Widakuswara's removal from the White House beat[1] and leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee issued a press release condemning the incident.[6]
A press release given by the GOP Foreign Affairs Committee noted that Widakuswara's reassignment "violate[s] the firewall legally established by Congress between top officials at USAGM and the journalists who work there."[6] Voice of America operates by charter under the U.S. Agency for Global Media.[7]
CNN was also noted that the incident was the "latest clash between members of the press and the Secretary, who is known to berate reporters, and particularly women, for asking questions he dislikes."[8]
References
- ^ a b c d "Voice Of America White House Reporter Reassigned After Questioning Pompeo". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ a b CNN, Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood. "Voice of America reassigns White House reporter who tried to ask Mike Pompeo a question". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b "Patsy Widakuswara - Reporter bio - VOA News". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ Post, The Jakarta. "Patsy Widakuswara: Jakarta native asking Trump administration tough questions". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ "United States: CFWIJ condemns the intimidation of journalist Patsy Widakuswara". The Coalition For Women In Journalism. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
- ^ a b "McCaul, Meeks Ask for Answers on Demotion of VOA Reporter Patsy Widakuswara". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
- ^ "USAGM". USAGM. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
- ^ CNN, Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood. "Voice of America reassigns White House reporter who tried to ask Mike Pompeo a question". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
External links
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