Patsy Widakuswara

Patsy Widakuswara is a radio and broadcast journalist in the United States who covers the White House and U.S. politics. She is the White House Bureau Chief of Voice of America.[1] She became part of a controversy during the administration of Donald Trump in 2021 when she was removed from the White House beat after questioning Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The move called into question the independence of Voice of America as a government-owned media outlet.[2]

Patsy Widakuswara
Widakuswara at Donald Trump's 2017 inaugration
Alma mater
OccupationJournalist Edit this on Wikidata
Employer

Education

Widakuswara studied International Relations at the University of Indonesia and completed a master's in Journalism from Goldsmiths College, University of London.[3]

Career
Main article: Voice of America

Widakuswara's has worked in broadcasting and radio in Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States for since the 1990s.[3] She began working at Voice of America (VOA) in 2003 as a producer and on-air reporter for the Indonesian Service.[1]

In early 2021, Widakuswara covered the Trump administration for VOA. On January 11, 2021, after VOA news director Robert R. Reilly interviewed Pompeo but did not allow reporters to ask questions, Widakuswara asked Pompeo several questions as he left the building.[4] Reilly responded she "obviously [didn't] know how to behave," and that "she wasn't 'authorized' to be there to ask questions."[2] She was hours later removed from the prestigious White House beat and then reassigned to VOA Indonesian service.[5]

The Coalition For Women In Journalism issued a statement condemning the reassignment.[6] The White House Press Association also condemned Widakuswara's removal from the White House beat[2] and leaders of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee issued a press release stating they asked for more information from the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and Voice of America,[7] and Chairman Gregory Meeks and ranking member Michael McCaul stated, "Absent a legitimate reason for this move, which has not been provided, we believe she should be reinstated".[5]

Widakuswara was reinstated on January 22, 2021.[8]

References
  1. "Federal Faces: Patsy Widakuswara". The Washington Post. March 18, 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  2. Folkenflik, David (12 January 2021). "Voice Of America White House Reporter Reassigned After Questioning Pompeo". NPR.org. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  3. "Patsy Widakuswara - Reporter bio - VOA News". www.voanews.com. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  4. "Patsy Widakuswara: Jakarta native asking Trump administration tough questions". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  5. Nicole Gaouette, Jennifer Hansler and Kylie Atwood (12 January 2021). "Voice of America reassigns White House reporter who tried to ask Mike Pompeo a question". CNN. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  6. "United States: CFWIJ condemns the intimidation of journalist Patsy Widakuswara". The Coalition For Women In Journalism. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  7. "McCaul, Meeks Ask for Answers on Demotion of VOA Reporter Patsy Widakuswara". Committee on Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  8. Beitsch, Rebecca (January 22, 2021). "VOA reinstates White House reporter reassigned after questioning Pompeo". The Hill. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
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