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Dick Carlson, a former journalist who led the Voice of America under Republican administrations decades before the GOP was shaped by hard-right commentators — including his son Tucker Carlson — and President Donald Trump began a push to effectively silence the U.S.-funded broadcaster, died March 24 at his home in Boca Grande, Florida. He was 84. The death was announced in statements by Tucker Carlson and his family, but no cause was given. Mr. Carlson led VOA from 1986 to 1991 as its journalists and commentators chronicled epochal events including the fall of the Berlin Wall, China’s deadly crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square and the looming breakup of the Soviet Union that marked the end of the Cold War. He later served as ambassador to the Indian Ocean nation the Seychelles and headed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which helps support PBS, NPR and other media outlets. Some GOP lawmakers have long denounced the agency for its cost to taxpayers and perceived left-leaning bias. During his tenure, Mr. Carlson stood against his own party in opposing any cutbacks in funding. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which includes VOA, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting and Radio Free Asia. VOA journalists and its current director, Michael Abramowitz, are part of a lawsuit challenging the directive. Full obituary.