Almost 30 years ago, toward the end of President Clinton’s first term in office, Republicans in Congress forced a government shutdown that led some 800,000 nonessential federal workers to be furloughed. At the time, I was the director of the Voice of America, and VOA was broadcasting in more than 45 languages reaching more than 200 million regular listeners around the world.
We successfully argued to the Clinton budget office that our employees were essential because if VOA were to stop broadcasting, those listeners would doubt that the U.S. was still a powerful force. As part of the administration’s program of reinventing government — which led to two years of balanced budgets — we eventually cut our workforce by about 10%. But VOA never stopped broadcasting.
This week, for the first time since it started operations in 1942, the VOA is almost entirely silent. Viewers and listeners primarily hear canned music or see a screen that simply says “VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.”
Other international broadcasting operations of the U.S. government have also been removed from the airwaves, while some appear to be defying orders and continuing operations.
International observers report that leaders in Russia and China are thrilled. Those countries continue their robust international broadcasting operations, as do Iran and many of America’s friends and adversaries. CNN reported that “Chinese nationalists and state media can hardly contain their schadenfreude right now.” Affiliate partner stations that need to fill air and screen time are already lining up programs from the international broadcasting services of Russia and China to replace American programming.
For 83 years, VOA has been a reliable source of news and information for people around the world. It operates under a legislative charter adopted by Congress in 1976 that requires its programming to be “accurate, objective, and comprehensive.” By law, VOA’s news programs are not allowed to be false or unbalanced. If they are, that law can be enforced.
VOA and the other U.S. international broadcasters have a regular audience that has been growing rapidly. There are reportedly now more than 425 million listeners in every part of the globe. Its news stories serve as a model of a free press and a vital source of information. When stories about rigged elections or government fraud or human rights abuses are suppressed by the countries where they occur, people in those countries can learn about them from VOA in their own languages and over transmission services they can receive. When people want to learn about how to run businesses, or about medical advances, democratic elections or popular culture, they can learn about them from VOA.
Moreover, VOA’s programs in “Special English” — which present short stories as well as news by using a core vocabulary of 1,500 words — have taught English to people around the world for decades. I once met the leader of a major bank in China, and when I told him that I had been the director of VOA, he teared up and said that his career had been possible because he learned English by listening to VOA.
VOA’s music programs have been a source of inspiration everywhere. For decades Willis Conover brought jazz to the world — often to nations where his program was banned. The great Cuban trumpeter Arturo Sandoval went to jail for listening to jazz on VOA. When Garth Brooks appeared on VOA’s country music show on a call-in program, a listener from China asked him when he would be coming to that country. “When China stops stealing our music,” Garth Brooks responded.
When Russia banned news about the war in Ukraine, people could learn about it from VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
While there will always be ways in which VOA can be streamlined and improved, it remains a vital force for good in the world — and a force for American products, policies and values. I hope it will not remain silent for long.
Geoffrey Cowan, a professor of communication and journalism at USC, is the director of the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy.
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Ideas expressed in the piece
- The article argues that Voice of America (VOA) has been a critical source of independent news and democratic values for 83 years, particularly in authoritarian regions where local media is suppressed or censored. Its sudden silencing under Trump’s executive order represents a historic retreat from U.S. leadership in promoting free information.
- VOA’s programming, mandated by law to be “accurate, objective, and comprehensive,” provided vital coverage of topics like human rights abuses, election fraud, and cultural exchange, serving over 425 million global listeners in 49 languages. Its absence risks leaving populations in countries like Iran and Russia reliant on state-controlled narratives[1].
- The broadcaster’s educational programs, such as “Special English,” have empowered individuals worldwide by teaching language skills and fostering cross-cultural understanding. Anecdotes highlight its role in shaping careers and spreading American cultural influence, such as jazz and country music, even under regimes hostile to the U.S.[3].
- Advocates warn that silencing VOA undermines U.S. soft power and inadvertently aids adversaries like China and Russia, whose state-funded media have celebrated the move while expanding their own global propaganda efforts[3].
Different views on the topic
- The Trump administration and allies frame the shutdown as a cost-cutting measure, accusing VOA of promoting “radical propaganda” and misusing taxpayer funds. Senior adviser Kari Lake labeled the agency “unsalvageable” and corrupt, echoing claims that it served “America’s adversaries” rather than its citizens[1][2][4].
- Critics, including Elon Musk, argue that VOA and related outlets like Radio Free Asia were financially unsustainable, costing taxpayers $1 billion annually while failing to align with U.S. interests. The administration claims the cuts prioritize fiscal responsibility and redirect resources from “radical crazy people”[1][3].
- Russian and Chinese state media have capitalized on the decision, with RT’s editor calling it an “awesome decision” and China’s Global Times dismissing VOA as a “lie factory.” This aligns with broader efforts by authoritarian regimes to fill the void with state-sanctioned narratives[3].
- Some Republican lawmakers and commentators defend the move as a necessary corrective to perceived liberal bias, arguing that VOA’s mission had strayed from its Cold War origins and required drastic restructuring to reflect contemporary priorities[1][2].
