VOA: 65 Years and Counting | Voice of America - English
This weekend [Saturday, February 24], the Voice of America will quietly observe a milestone. While many here in the United States see turning 65 years old as a time to retire, the Voice of America plans to continue working well into the 21st century.February 24, 1942 -- a shortwave broadcast from the United States to Nazi-occupied Europe told listeners that America would tell them the truth.
Over the years, the Voice of America has drawn on the talents of thousands people from around the world. In order to gain a better understanding of what we're about, I asked some of my colleagues why they wanted to be a VOA journalist. "You look at all of this information [you have access to in Washington] and you compare it to what the Thais are learning," says Nittaya Maphungphong, Chief of the Thai Service. "And then you go in there [to the studio] at 6:00 in the morning and you get a chance to tell them what's going on at this end of the world. And you feel so honored." "For me and for other journalists in Haiti, the Voice of America was the standard of excellence in broadcasting. And I always wanted to be a part of that," says Ronald Cesar, a broadcaster for VOA's Creole Service. "I grew up listening to VOA Russian during the Soviet times. And I had this idea of the Voice of America being an open, free, fair, objective and democratic source of information. And for a young journalist from a very media oppressed environment, this was a great opportunity for me," says Navbahor Imamova of VOA's Uzbek Service. As for me . . . I was an American Fulbright Scholar in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. As I witnessed communism firsthand, I -- like so many others -- depended on VOA as a reliable source of news and information about America and the world. And for nearly two decades, it has been an honor to be a part of that tradition. And while the languages and mediums we broadcast in may change, the Voice of America's mission continues . . . 65 years and counting.