The Voice of America today celebrated its 70th anniversary.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today lauded VOD for having stood at the front lines of the struggle for a free media.
For seventy years, the Voice of America has been a trusted source of news and information for millions around the world, Ms. Clinton said.
“Since its birth, VOA has consistently adapted to our rapidly changing world growing from a radio broadcast service into a vibrant multimedia network that employs every medium there is, from television to Twitter.” -Ms. Clinton
Still, VOA remains as true to its mission today as it was in 1942, Ms. Clinton added.
She cites that in parts of the world where the voice of freedom is muted or muffled, VOA stood bravely to fight for a free media.
The VOA has risk lives, or even sacrifice them.
Earlier this year, a Pakistani correspondent was killed who, despite multiple threats on his life, dedicated himself to giving his audience fair and accurate reports from his corner of the world.
“Today, we pay tribute to Mukarram and other members of the VOA family whom we have lost over the years.” -Ms. Clinton
She says the United States is proud of VOA and grateful for its work.
Time and time again, the VOA has defied foreign governments that seek to stifle press freedom signal, piercing through Iron Curtains and electronic ones, for the sake of illuminating the enduring strength of our democratic values.
“So as you mark your 70th anniversary, I congratulate all of you who have built this worldwide network into what it is today. Thank you for being the Voice of America.” -Ms. Clinton
For almost 70 years, Voice of America has been broadcasting uncensored news and the spirit of democracy into China, a nation suffering under a brutal, totalitarian regime.
On February 2011, the Obama Administration has put VOA’s Mandarin Service on the chopping block.
Voice of America (VOA) is the official external broadcast institution of the US federal government. VOA provides a vast range of programming for broadcast on radio and TV and the Internet outside of the U.S. in 44 languages.
