TRANSCRIPT:
I started my career in Uzbekistan 33 years ago where I met my wife. And she grew up as a Crimean Tatar in exile and her father used to tune the dial in the late Soviet era and said, “Kids, there’s no truth in this state party newspaper, no pravda in Pravda, but at least we have VOA.” And that shows the impact that VOA had on audiences in authoritarian countries for decades.
I personally benefited from Voice of America on my assignments. I also had a short wave radio in Uzbekistan and in Poland in the 1990s; I relied on Voice of America.
Voice of America for 80 years has been our voice internationally telling our story to international audiences. And that’s very important for Americans as well because it’s important that the world understand what’s happening in the United States, understands our views on what’s going on in the world, and also that the world understands what’s happening in the United States.
So I think VOA has served our community (Americans), our interests, and the world’s interests in unbiased, accurate news for 80 years. And that’s important to continue.
Published
Kent served as U.S. ambassador to Estonia from 2023–2025 during the Biden administration. His career in the U.S. Foreign Service included assignments in Ukraine, Thailand and Uzbekistan.