TRANSCRIPT:
Voice of America is probably the single most important instrument that we’ve had in our toolkit to get people to understand our values, not only of just the United States, but of our allies that we partner with that secure our security throughout time.
When a totalitarian or a dictatorship, or people who want to influence power, the first thing that they go after is communications — the books, television, internet, you name it. That’s what they attack. And they take control of the narrative in those vehicles. So if there is a vehicle out there that communicates truth, different from their truth — or what they perceive to be truth or what they think is adverse truth — they just stop it.
Voice of America is able to override some of that and reach people. Because people are inventive. They’ll find ways. They’ll communicate through their phones. They’ll communicate through internet. They’ll send messages, voice. And a single reporter coming in, who has established a relationship with the listener on the other side. That’s what happens in radio or communications: They have an established relationship with the person.