Elez Biberaj: Let VOA Speak – America and the World Need a Trusted Voice
On this 79th anniversary of VOA’s Russian Service, it is fitting to recall that VOA is one of America’s most effective channels for communicating directly with the Russian people. Since that first VOA broadcast to Russian audiences on February 17, 1947, the need for a credible and independent American voice has never been greater. Yet since March 15, 2025, VOA’s Russian Service, along with nearly all other VOA language services, has been silenced. This is precisely the moment when America can least afford such silence. Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, and Putin’s authoritarian regime remains a potent adversary, challenging U.S. interests and values across every domain.
VOA reached millions of Russians from Europe to the Pacific with comprehensive, fact‑based reporting, clear explanations of U.S. policy, and a perspective unavailable inside Russia’s tightly controlled information space. No other instrument of American soft power can match that combination of reach, credibility, and impact. Muting VOA has been welcomed in the Kremlin, but it has seriously damaged U.S. communication with a strategic audience.
Congress has acknowledged the seriousness of this mistake by approving funding, however inadequate, to keep VOA alive. That action makes clear what should never have been in doubt: shutting down VOA was a profoundly shortsighted decision and a self‑inflicted blow to America’s national interests.
As the head of USAGM, Madame Kari Lake now confronts the consequences of this decision. Real leadership requires recognizing when a policy is fundamentally flawed and correcting course. It is essential to immediately restore VOA broadcasts to strategic audiences such as Russia and Ukraine. But restoration alone is not sufficient. With nearly three decades of experience in journalism, Madame Lake is uniquely positioned to recognize a fundamental truth: the credibility of any news organization depends on its editorial independence and truthful reporting. For VOA to fulfill its mission, it must be guided by the principles that made it one of the world’s most respected international broadcasters, reaching hundreds of millions weekly: providing accurate and objective news and information, adhering to the highest journalistic standards, and maintaining a robust firewall that insulates journalists from political pressure or control. Only by upholding those principles can VOA advance America’s interests and project the democratic values that give our international broadcasts global credibility.
