The Foreign Service Journal, January 2004

happy and fortunate. This is a rare opportunity ... I think that all the audience should cherish this rare window that allows us to breathe in the air of free- dom.” Even North Koreans, subjected since 1950 to inten- sive propaganda and draconian media controls, retain an astounding capacity — against all odds — to think for themselves, and appreciate honest, factual reporting when they hear it. A survey of 200 North Korean defec- tors conducted by the Intermedia Survey Institute in June 2003 found that 47 percent had personally modified a one-channel radio to listen to foreign broadcasts, although nearly all knew this could land them in re-edu- cation camps. Forty-two percent reported listening to South Korean radio every week, while 17.5 percent reported listening to RFA’s Korean-language broadcasts (at four hours daily). “Tell Him the Truth” Over the past year, all RFA language services devot- ed exhaustive coverage to the deadly SARS virus and its regional impact. They also covered in-depth North Korea’s declared nuclear program, China’s leadership transition, Burmese unrest, and Cambodia’s July elec- tions. The international commercial media now often cite RFA as an authoritative source for news on Asia’s closed countries, which attests to RFA’s growing access and credibility. Current plans call for stepped-up investigative reporting and an expansion of RFA’s Web site to include more text, more audio, and live streaming of call-in programs. These initiatives will likely fuel a growing audience in East Asia — which, despite assertions to the con- trary by authoritarian leaders, has prized the virtues of truth-telling and speaking truth to power for cen- turies. Asked by a student how he should address a prince, no less venerable a sage than Confucius land- ed on the side of unvarnished honesty. “Tell him the truth,” Confucius replied, “even if it offends him.” F O C U S J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 4 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 45 2000 N. 14th Street Suite 500 Arlington, VA 22201 Telephone (703) 797-3259 Fax (703) 524-7559 Tollfree (800) 424-9500