President Obama recently nominated a new bipartisan slate for the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency in charge of all US civilian international news broadcasting, reports Free Media Online. If confirmed by the US Senate, the eight new appointees would completely replace the current BBG Board, with the exception of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who serves as an ex-officio member.

Free Media Online points out that the BBG has been rated in employee surveys by the US Office of Personnel Management “as one of the worst managed [entities] within the federal government,” with Radio Sawa and Al-Hurra Television being the two most flagrant examples.

Dana Perino, a former top aide of former president George W. Bush, was among the recent nominees to the new slate on the board. Her nomination is already generating controversy, according to Straits Time.

Perino currently serves as Chief Issues Counselor for the United States at the international public relations firm Burson-Marsteller and as a contributor to Fox News Channel, which has sparred with the Obama administration over the past few months. Perino, who describes herself as "always a Bushie," was Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's choice for one of the Republican seats on the bipartisan board.

Another nominee, Michael Meehan, is also generating controversy as he was previously nominated by President Bush to the Board, reports Matt Armstrong on his blog Mountain Runner. Meehan has a previous connection to the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, as he is a business partner of the husband of Kitty DiMartino, Judith McHale’s Chief of Staff. Al Kamen points out in The Washington Post that in fact, Meehan’s confirmation was stalled in the Senate, along other several nominees.

In other announcements for key administration posts, President Obama nominated Douglas B. Wilson for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at the Department of Defense, reports the International Security Research and Intelligence Agency, ISRIA.

Wilson served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. He spent a year as National Political Director of the Democratic Leadership Council before returning to the Pentagon in the summer of 2000 to become Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Mr. Wilson has also served as Director of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs for the US Information Agency.

As the Pentagon’s chief spokesman, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs must balance the competing demands of freedom of information and national security, explains the National Academy of Public Administration. The job requires a seasoned news media or public relations professional with experience dealing with diverse audiences.

The war on terror added a new level of urgency to the role and tested the line between public affairs and propaganda.