TRANSCRIPT:
The value of the Voice of America is immense. When America’s voice is out there, it drowns out a lot of the noise that otherwise people would have to listen to. It has the added advantage of being true.
The standards by which VOA operates around the world are admired. They are considered to be the gold standard of journalism and they allow individuals to hear an unfettered, unvarnished, true version of world events. They also allow individuals to get a hint of what good journalism is.
The danger is that if there is silence on one end, it will be filled by noise somewhere else. And the problem is, is the noise that comes from somewhere else will not be in the best interest of either the United States or the people listening to that message.
When there’s no one there to give forth your opinion, other people will speak for you. And if other people speak for you, they might not be telling the truth. The closure of any public media, regardless of where it is or what its message is, sends a troubling sign to media everywhere. For once a voice is silenced, individuals in an audience never have the opportunity to hear from it again. If the Voice of America goes silent, people will see that as a sign that any nation can silence anything it wants. And this is a truly ominous sign for all of us.
I remember listening as a child during dark nights from distant locations to the voices from my nation and I marveled at the way in which they described my country in such detail to the people around me. I found it comforting to know that even far away from the United States, people could become familiar with, acquainted with, and understand not just my nation, but my culture, and the way my nation thinks.
Of course, things are different nowadays. Individuals don’t listen to shortwave radios, they get on the internet, but it’s all the same. If you have the ability to access the voice of a country, you can understand better its heart. And by silencing that voice, I fear we’re cutting out a piece of our heart.
Published
Dinkelman is a retired U.S. diplomat and president of the American Foreign Service Association. A career Foreign Service officer for 37 years, he served in leadership roles focused on the Western Hemisphere and administration of the department.