Nadine Hoffman

TRANSCRIPT:

Independent journalism is always going to stand head and shoulders above propaganda. It’s really the cornerstone of our democracies, and we know that outlets like Voice of America are vital to making sure that their audiences, including the people that live under authoritarianism, have access to the truth, that they have some way of knowing what’s actually happening in their communities. It is really the antidote to propaganda.

We need journalists who are willing to speak truth to power. The danger that we see with creeping authoritarianism and this worldwide rollback of democracy is that the truth can become the enemy of the government, because it needs to have its own narrative in order to survive. And that means that often independent media is labeled falsely as the enemy of the people. We’ve seen that around the world. It’s all part of their playbook of authoritarianism, and now we’re also seeing that here in America.

Independent journalists can never be an administration’s mouthpiece. They have to be able to report independently. They have to be able to hold power to account. And they do so at really, you know, great risk sometimes for their own, personal safety and well-being. We’ve seen VOA journalists attacked and even jailed for doing their jobs around the world.

Free press matters and that becomes crystal clear when it’s muzzled. Without access to accurate information, people can’t make informed decisions about how they live their lives. And this is when we see democracies ultimately fall.

We have to stand together to defend independent journalism in this moment, or we will all suffer the consequences of its loss.

Published February 25, 2026

Hoffman is the executive director of the International Women’s Media Foundation, where she leads programs supporting women journalists worldwide. Her work focuses on press freedom, journalist safety and advancing women in media leadership.