TRANSCRIPT:
I can recall being on a relief flight heading into southern Sudan in the 1980s. This was a very difficult part of southern Sudan near Juba where refugees were in terrible situation because of civil war. And being on the plane with international pilots, some of them Americans, I had a great sense of pride as we were flying into southern Sudan, and the pilots — their choice — had on their radios listening to the Voice of America as we were coming in to land in Sudan.
That was just confirmation to me of our global impact, the credibility and the necessity, and the worthiness of keeping VOA an international beacon of journalism and, frankly, freedom and democracy for the entire world.
I remember many encounters with Africans in various countries coming to me, wanting to talk about human rights situations or political upheaval or turmoil in their own countries, and confirming the fact that they relied on VOA and other international broadcasters as, importantly, credible sources of information so that they knew what was going on.
The Voice of America budget is less than two high-end fighter warplanes from the Defense Department. So for that kind of money, you’re getting engagement with the world, loyal audiences around the world, and VOA as an important sort of conveyor of truth and information to audiences craving that kind of thing around the world.
For the future, and for the future of press freedom, not only in the United States but around the world, people are looking at what’s happening with Voice of America here in the United States and there going to be a lot of questions if Voice of America ultimately does not survive.
Published
Malone was a longtime Voice of America correspondent covering U.S. politics and elections. He joined VOA in 1983 and later served as congressional correspondent, East Africa correspondent and national correspondent.