TRANSCRIPT:
Consistently, the Voice of America has had enormous value. It counters the propaganda, the false information put forth by authoritarian countries that are hostile to the United States. It presents objective, truthful information. It provides a range of different opinions and ideas, demonstrating the importance of free speech and the free exchange of ideas in a democracy.
The American people might not be very knowledgeable about the Voice of America, but they need to understand that it is critical to the national security and to the values of the United States. It is our best means for disseminating around the world our own democratic and humane values. It is our best means for countering authoritarian propaganda.
And you know, as a number of scholars have pointed out, democracies fall in the modern world, not usually by military attack, but by control of ideas and information and the killing of truth. And around the world, the Voice of America stands as an essential counter to that trend.
Published
Lichtman is a political historian and professor at American University. He is widely known for developing the “Keys to the White House” model for analyzing U.S. presidential elections.