(Source: Christian Science Monitor)

Voice of America (VOA), the jewel in America’s public diplomacy effort abroad, is set to be streamlined. Some programs can be downsized. But VOA is in the national interest, especially as Russia, China, and Iran expand state-supported media. Cuts should be handled with care.

[…]An earlier BBG decision to shut down VOA’s Mandarin and Cantonese services to China, in favor of TV and social media, produced a firestorm not only among VOA staffers but also with members of Congress who support VOA and preside over its budget (and who temporarily blocked the move). Though shortwave radio may be in eclipse, there are still remote areas of the world dependent on it.

This article is authoritative in that it’s author, John Hughes was once director of VOA during the Reagan administration.

We’ve echoed so many times on this website what Mr. Hughes puts forth in his argument, that any downsizing should be handled with care. There are still many communities on this planet where shortwave radio is literally a lifeline of information.