Broadcasting Board of Governors released video with gender-insensitive comment

The Broadcasting Board of Governors has posted an on demand link to the video from its meeting last Friday which included a comment about young women by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty president Steven Korn. Some who were present at the meeting or saw the live video feed found Korn’s reference to wanting to hire a “cute high school intern” to be at least insensitive if not demeaning and offensive. One top level female manager at the BBG described it to BBG Watch as “gross.” BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson can be hear laughing after the comment, but perhaps somewhat nervously.

The comment was made in response to a Radio and TV Marti short video of their recent broadcasting achievements, which was narrated by a young female intern. After the presentation of the video, RFE/RL president Steven Korn said, apparently in an attempt to show his sense of humor, that he was planning to immediately recruit “a cute high school intern,” presumably to narrate his organization’s next promotional video.

On demand video link is usually posted on the BBG website shortly after the end of each meeting. It took the BBG three days to post the link this time. It’s not clear whether the delay was due to public relations and legal concerns on the part of BBG officials or simply a result of general lack of good management.

There are strong suspicions that Steven Korn is also the author of the “old white guys” comment, which reportedly was made in a recent email by a top level BBG official while discussing his personnel actions. BBG Watch sources point out that Korn has dismissed or tried to change titles of some older male managers while promoting some of his female executives at RFE/RL. The same sources say that Korn has defended his personnel decisions as streamlining and eliminating duplication. He also told BBG members that his management changes have been broadly endorsed by the RFE/RL staff.

According to BBG Watch sources, a BBG member who was a recipient of the “old white guys” email met with other BBG members to consider a response. Our sources tell us that BBG members reversed some of the personnel decisions made by the author of “old white guys” comment and adopted a resolution condemning workplace discrimination. Sources told us that there were not enough votes to dismiss the official who made the “old white guys” comment.

According to our sources, Korn who is a former CNN associate of BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson is still supported by at least two Republican BBG members Enders Wimbush and Dennis Mulhaupt. Sources say that while Wimbush and Mulhaupt don’t condone gender and age discrimination, they see Korn as someone who will not oppose plans to centralize control over U.S. international broadcasting in the hands of their allies and turn the BBG, including the Voice of America and Radio and TV Marti, into a publicly funded corporate structure.

But some of the Democratic members no longer support Korn, according to BBG Watch sources, and neither does BBG’s senior Republican member Ambassador Victor Ashe who has been advocating for strong public oversight of U.S. international broadcasting and for improving employee morale. Sources told us that Ashe was extremely upset by the reference to “old white guys.”

Isaacson was, according to our sources, horrified by the “old white guys” remark, but — other than the anti-discrimination resolution and the reversal of personnel decisions — it is not clear what additional actions if any he might have personally taken or plans to take to further protect the BBG from any potential public relations, employee morale and legal damage.

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