FOI data used in Voice of America study

This dataset relates to a research project that explored the increased politicisation of the Voice of America (VOA) international news network during the period when a Trump appointee, Michael Pack, was the CEO of the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM). We analyse why and how VOA was captured by Trump allies, and the effects of this increased politicisation on the US-funded network and on democratic backsliding within the US more broadly. The research analysed 15,000 pages of material, 12,000 pages of this consisted of private correspondence and internal documents released by USAGM in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The deposited spreadsheet provides details on the nature and location of these archives, while the methodology document details how we combined analysis of FOI material with semi-structured interviews, the analysis of news and social media, and document analysis of contextual material, including government reports, court verdicts, and documentation released by the January 6 Committee. The dataset relates the academic monograph, titled: Wright, Kate, Scott, Martin, Bunce, Mel. Capturing News, Capturing Democracy: Trump and the Voice of America. (Accepted by Oxford University Press).