TRANSCRIPT:
The most important representation of American values is the fact that we as a society are willing to look critically at ourselves. And that is the sign of a strong society: that we can look critically at ourselves through the eyes of the media. And I think many people who are not Americans are surprised when they find out that there are entities like Voice of America or Stars and Stripes — the military newspaper — which are financed by the government but are free to turn a critical eye to the government. Then other people are surprised by that.
But if you think about it, it is the absolute representation of American values, which is, first of all, these are entities funded by the taxpayers. That government money comes from people. And so we the people want to show our values. And one of the primary American values is freedom of speech and freedom to speak truth to power. And that is what Voice of America has represented in the world. And that is why I think it has always been trusted, it has been credible, and it has been admired, because it represents that side of America.
Our superpower has been that we are willing to be honest about ourselves. And that has made us more credible in the eyes of the world. And I worry that if Voice of America becomes merely a voice of whoever happens to be in power for this particular four-year term, it is no better than the kind of propaganda that we see coming out of, say, Russia. So, in order for us to say we’re better than the authoritarian nations, we have to keep our media free to give a whole picture of our society.
Published
Kiely is a journalist and the Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at the Missouri School of Journalism. She previously covered Washington and national politics for numerous news organizations, and has a long record of advocacy on press freedom issues.