The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

“a decent respect for the opin- ions of mankind” requires that we give nothing less. These two views of our mis- sion — a tool of public diploma- cy and a beacon of accurate, objective news — were inter- woven in the charter of the Voice of America which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Gerald R. Ford on July 12, 1976. That document governs everything VOA does to this day, and is prominently displayed throughout our building (see box, below). You’ll notice that the charter speaks about communicating via radio. A quarter-century ago, that was more or less the only option, and, indeed, it was the rise of short-wave radio broad- casting that made it possible for us to enter into this kind of pub- lic diplomatic activity. Now we have a variety of other outlets, including television and the Internet, which greatly add to the impact of what we do. The charter also requires that VOA “win the attention and respect of listeners.” Getting the attention of people in the increasingly crowded media marketplace of today is not easy, even in developing countries. But when we get it, through cre- ative programming and modern marketing techniques, we win the allegiance of generations of listeners by treating them with respect, and by providing accurate and balanced information. When people say “I heard it on VOA” they can be confident that it’s true. Given the nature of some media outlets around the world, that’s no small thing, and it’s a key reason why VOA has been so effective for so long. Finally, the charter specifies that VOA must “repre- sent America” and “present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively.” Alone of all U.S. inter- national broadcasters, VOA is responsible for telling the world about the richness and diversity of American life, and for outlining what American policy is on the key issues of the day. In both cases, VOA broadcasts help to overcome the kind of distorted or deliberately dis- honest presentations of who Americans are, and what we believe in, that are, unfortunately, all too prevalent in today’s world. In this sense, VOA is a critical partner of the State Department in the promotion of American foreign policy. VOA Today For much of its history, VOA was part of the U.S. Information Agency, and many Foreign Service officers played distinguished roles in helping to build the orga- nization and its reputation. But since 1999, VOA has been subordinate to the presidentially-appointed Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees all F O C U S 26 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4 VOA’s Central Newsroom prepares more than 150 news reports every day in English; these are then shared with all of VOA’s language services and programs. David S. Jackson is director of the Voice of America. A veteran journalist and foreign correspondent, Jackson spent 23 years at Time Magazine. He has also worked as a consultant to the U.S. Defense Department, where he created the DefendAmerica.gov Web site. The VOA Charter The long-range interests of the United States are served by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. To be effective, the Voice of America must win the attention and respect of listen- ers. These principles will therefore govern Voice of America (VOA) broadcasts. 1. VOA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOA news will be accu- rate, objective, and comprehensive. 2. VOA will represent America, not any single seg- ment of American society, and will therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of signifi- cant American thought and institutions. 3. VOA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present responsible discussions and opinion on these poli- cies.