VOICE OF AMERICA

A Trusted Source of News and Information Since 1942

"The news may be good. The news may be bad. We shall tell you the truth."
- William Harlan Hale, 1st VOA broadcast (1942)

The VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) is the dynamic multimedia broadcaster that broadcasts accurate, balanced, and
comprehensive news and information using the medium that works best for audiences. The VOICE OF AMERICA
(VOA) is a dynamic radio and television broadcasting service of the United States federal government with service
in 44 Plus languages. It broadcasts by satellite and on FM, AM, and shortwave radio frequencies. It is also available
through the Internet in both streaming media and downloadable. The VOICE OF AMERICA has affiliate and contract
agreements with many radio and television stations and cable networks worldwide. It is working in different
countries to broadcast accurate, balanced, and comprehensive news and information to an international
audience facility. Its day-to-day operations are supported by the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). In addition
to news programming, VOICE OF AMERICA also offers educational programs and features on American life and
other sectors of the world. The VOICE OF AMERICA is managed through the Broadcasting Board of Governors
(BBG), an organization which is designed to maintain the fidelity of the VOICE OF AMERICA regardless as to internal
American politics.

VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) is one of the largest International broadcasting services of the world. Serving
worldwide weekly an estimated global audience of 123 million, with the budget of $151 million in 2004 and
$208.8 million in 2010. VOICE OF AMERICA provides news, information, and cultural programming through
the Internet, mobile and social media like radio, and television. For this they have 20 radio broadcast studios,
33 production and recording studios, 31 professional audio mixing and dubbing stations, 4 full-production
television studios, 2 limited-production television studios, 32 video editing suites, and facilities for master
control, recording, scheduling, and feed intake. Through work on internet VOICE OF AMERICA is using more
than 20,000 servers across 71 countries. The VOICE OF AMERICA headquarters is located at 330 Independence
Avenue SW, Washington, DC, 20237, USA. VOICE OF AMERICA headquarters in Washington has the greatest
number of staff correspondents. They cover the White House, the Pentagon, the Department, and Capitol Hill. Others
do background work and miscellaneous assignments, such as science or economics. In interviews and personal
questionnaires, the correspondents were referred to as the “jewels in VOICE OF AMERICA’s crown.”

History
VOICE OF AMERICA is a Trusted Source of News and Information Since 1942. On 24 February 1942, the
Foreign Information Service began shortwave broadcasts as “Voices of America,” soon changed to “VOICE OF
AMERICA.” The roots of VOICE OF AMERICA can be found in the Office of War Information, which was founded
during the Second World War to broadcast information into the Axis nations of Japan, Italy, and Germany.
Experimental programming began in the 1930s but in 1942, VOICE OF AMERICA was formally founded, with the
idea of acting as a source of balanced information about America in countries which might not have alternative
sources of news. The VOICE OF AMERICA went on the air to get reliable news to people living in closed and war-
torn societies. VOICE OF AMERICA targeted programming at nations like China and Russia during the Cold War,
and expanded its broadcasting throughout the twentieth century.

Background
Before the Second World War, all American shortwave stations were in private hands. The National
Broadcasting Company's International, or White Network, which broadcast in six languages, There was the Columbia
Broadcasting System, whose Latin American international network consisted of sixty-four stations located in eighteen
different countries, as well as the Crosley Company in Cincinnati, Ohio, had shortwave transmitters. For VOICE OF
AMERICA (VOA), the Experimental programming began in the 1930s. However there were less than 12 transmitters.

In 1939, the Federal Communications Commission set the following policy:

A license of an international broadcast station shall render only an international broadcast service which will reflect
the culture of this country and which will promote international goodwill, understanding and cooperation. Any program
solely intended for, and directed to an audience in the continental United States does not meet the requirements for
this service. Washington observers felt this policy was to enforce the State Department's Good Neighbor Policy but
many broadcasters felt that this was an attempt to direct censorship. In 1940, the Office of the Coordinator of Inter
American Affairs, a semi-independent agency of the U.S. State Department headed by Nelson Rockefeller, began
operations. Shortwave signals to Latin America were regarded as vital to counter Nazi propaganda (by Russian).
Initially, the Office of Coordination of Information sent releases to each station, but this was seen as an inefficient
means of transmitting news.
World War II: VOICE OF AMERICA Begins
In January, 1942 the U.S. government leased 15-minute blocks of time on each station, calling the program "The
VOICE OF AMERICA". VOICE OF AMERICA was organized in 1942 under the Office of War Information with news
programs aimed at areas in Japan and the south Pacific and in Europe and North Africa under the occupation of Nazi
Germany. VOICE OF AMERICA began broadcasting on February 24, 1942. The initial announcement of the VOICE
OF AMERICA stated, “Daily at this time, we shall speak to you about America and the war. The news may be good or
bad. We shall tell you the truth.” The Office of War Information took over VOICE OF AMERICA's operations when it
was formed in mid 1942. The VOICE OF AMERICA reached an agreement with the British Broadcasting Corporation
to share medium-wave transmitters in Britain, and expanded into Tunis in North Africa and Palermo and Bari, Italy as
the Allies captured these territories. Asian transmissions started with one transmitter in California in 1941. Services
were expanded by adding transmitters in Hawaii and, after recapture, the Philippines. By the end of the war, VOICE
OF AMERICA (VOA) had 39 transmitters and provided service in 40 languages. Programming was broadcast from
production centers in New York and San Francisco, with more than 1,000 programs originating from New York.
Programming consisted of music, news, commentary, and relays of U.S. domestic programming. In addition to
specialized VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) programming. About half of VOICE OF AMERICA’s services, including the
Arabic service, were discontinued in 1945.
The Cold War:
In 1947, VOICE OF AMERICA started broadcasting in Russian with the intent to counter more harmful instances of
Soviet propaganda directed against American leaders and policies. Soviet Union responded by initiating aggressive,
electronic jamming of VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasts on 24 April 1949. The Arabic service resumed on January 1,
1950, with a half-hour program. This program grew to 14.5 hours daily during the Suez Crisis of 1956, and was 6
hours a day by 1958.In 1952, the VOICE OF AMERICA installed a studio and relay facility aboard a converted U.S.
Coast Guard cutter renamed Courier whose target audience was Russia and its allies. The Courier was originally
intended to become the first in a fleet of mobile, radio broadcasting ships that built upon U.S. Navy experience during
World War II in using warships as floating broadcasting stations. However, the Courier eventually dropped anchor off
the island of Rhodes, Greece with permission of the Greek government to avoid being branded as a pirate radio
broadcasting ship. This VOICE OF AMERICA offshore station stayed on the air until the 1960s when facilities were
eventually provided on land. The Courier supplied training to engineers who later worked on several of the European
commercial offshore broadcasting stations of the 1950s and 1960s.
Control of the VOICE OF AMERICA passed from the State Department to the U.S. Information Agency when the
latter was established in 1953. Purpose was to transmit worldwide, including to the countries behind the Iron Curtain
and to the People's Republic of China (PRC). In the 1980s, the WORLDNET was established. That was a satellite
television service, and in 2004 WORLDNET was merged into VOICE OF AMERICA. During the 1950s and 1960s,
VOICE OF AMERICA broadcast American jazz, which was highly popular, world wide. For example, a program
aimed at South Africa in 1956 broadcast 2 hours nightly, along with special programs such as “The Newport Jazz
Festival”. This was done in association of tours by U.S. musicians, such as Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, and
Duke Ellington, sponsored by the State Department.
Throughout the Cold War, many of the targeted countries' governments sponsored jamming of VOICE OF AMERICA
broadcasts, which sometimes led critics to question the broadcasts' actual impact. For example, in 1956s, Poland
stopped jamming VOICE OF AMERICA, but Bulgaria continued to jam the signal through the 1970s. And Chinese-
language VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasts were jammed beginning in 1956 and extending through 1976. However,
after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the Soviet Union, interviews with participants in anti-Soviet movements
verified the effectiveness of VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasts in transmitting information to socialist societies. The
People's Republic of China diligently jams VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasts. Cuba has also been reported to
interfere with VOICE OF AMERICA satellite transmissions to Iran from its Russian-built transmission site at Bejucal.
David Jackson, director of the VOICE OF AMERICA, noted "The North Korean government doesn't jam us, but they
try to keep people from listening through intimidation or worse. But people figure out ways to listen despite the odds.
They're very resourceful."
In the 1980s, VOICE OF AMERICA also added a television service, as well as special regional programs to Cuba,
Radio Marti and TV Marti. Cuba has consistently attempted to jam such broadcasts and has vociferously protested
U.S. broadcasts directed at Cuba. In 1985, VOICE OF AMERICA Europe was created as a special service in English
that was relayed via satellite to AM, FM, and cable affiliates throughout Europe. With a contemporary format including
live disc jockeys, the network presented top musical hits as well as VOICE OF AMERICA news and features of local
interest (such as "Euro Fax") 24 hours a day. VOICE OF AMERICA Europe was closed down without advance public
notice (even to its own audience) in January, 1997, as a cost-cutting measure. Today, stations are offered the VOICE
OF AMERICA Music Mix service.
Post Cold War (1991): Changes in services
In 1994, the VOICE OF AMERICA became the first broadcast-news organization to offer continuously updated
programs on the Internet. Content in English and 44 other languages is currently available online through a
distributed network of commercial providers, using more than 20,000 servers across 71 countries. Since many
listeners in Africa and other areas still receive much of their information via radio and have only limited access to
computers, VOICE OF AMERICA continues to maintain regular shortwave-radio broadcasts.
The Arabic Service was abolished in 2002 and replaced by a new radio service, called the Middle East Radio
Network or Radio Sawa, with an initial budget of $22 million. Radio Sawa offered mostly Western and American
popular music with periodic brief news bulletins.

Current Business
VOICE OF AMERICA’s journalists also rely their Journalistic Code, which lays out the standards for
reporting accurate, objective, and comprehensive news. The Code establishes VOICE OF AMERICA’s principles and
practices for “sourcing” stories, and ensuring accuracy, balance, fairness, context, and comprehensiveness. All
journalistic organizations conform to similar standards. All the activities of VOICE OF AMERICA are Laws governing
activities. Under United States law (Section 501. Act of 1948), the VOICE OF AMERICA is forbidden to broadcast
directly to American citizens. The original intent of this section of the legislation was to protect the American public
from propaganda actions by its own government. Although VOICE OF AMERICA does not broadcast domestically,
Americans can access the programs through shortwave and streaming audio over the Internet.
"Two-Source Rule"
An internal policy of VOICE OF AMERICA News to build reliability is that any story broadcast must have two
independently corroborating sources or have a staff correspondent actually witnessing an event. This rule was
confirmed by Ted Iliff, Associate Director for Central Programming for VOICE OF AMERICA.VOICE OF AMERICA’s
work in all languages and platforms is governed by the VOICE OF AMERICA Charter signed into law by President
Gerald Ford in 1976.The Charter states, in part, that
“VOICE OF AMERICA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOICE OF AMERICA
news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.”
That is why they feature those words on the VOICE OF AMERICANews.com banner. The Charter also states that
“VOICE OF AMERICA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also present
responsible discussions and opinions on these policies.”
Listeners within the United States can pick up the VOICE OF AMERICA on shortwave and through streaming media
broadcasting, but the group does not formally broadcast within the United States. This is due to an agreement
between VOICE OF AMERICA and privately owned broadcasters within the United States, which were concerned
about having to compete with the federal government.
They transmit approximately 1,500 hours of programs each week, 26 of VOICE OF AMERICA's 44 languages
broadcast on television. Program content includes news, features, education, and culture, in documentary,
discussion, and call-in formats, both live and pre-recorded.
VOICE OF AMERICA has a growing worldwide network of more than 1,200 local affiliate stations, which
include FM and medium wave (MW or AM) radio stations, television stations and networks, and cable systems.
VOICE OF AMERICA's central newsroom has hundreds of journalists and dozens of full-time domestic and overseas
correspondents, who are employees of the U.S. government or paid contractors. They are augmented by hundreds of
contract correspondents and stringers throughout the world, who file in English or in one of the VOICE OF
AMERICA's 44 other radio broadcast languages, 25 of which are also broadcast on television. VOICE OF
AMERICA's 30,000 square foot News center is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing between
150 and 200 news reports per day for all language services and programs. There are also 22 domestic and 16
overseas correspondents, in addition to more than 90 part-time reporters, called "stringers"
Program content includes news, features, education, and culture, in documentary, discussion, and call-in formats,
both live and pre-recorded to the millions of peoples.

VOICE OF AMERICA is working with the most updated technology to serve the audience. VOICE OF
AMERICA has the largest integrated digital audio system in the world. A network of AM, FM, and shortwave
transmitting stations operated by the International Broadcasting Bureau, along with some leased stations,
sends VOICE OF AMERICA's programs instantaneously around the world. The website,
http://www.voanews.com, provides a wide range of English-language news reports and serves as a portal to
homepages of all 44 plus languages broadcast by VOICE OF AMERICA, as well as other information about
VOICE OF AMERICA. VOANews.com pages feature text, audio/video files on demand, and live-streamed
programs.
LANGUAGES
VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasts in 44 languages. That makes VOICE OF AMERICA one of the largest
multimedia news organizations in the world. The languages are

 Lao
 Afan Oromo  Macedonian
 Albanian  Mandarin
 Amharic  Ndebele
 Arabic  Pashto
 Armenian  Persian
 Azerbaijani  Portuguese
 Bangla  Kirundi
 Bosnian  Russian
 Burmese  Kinyarwanda
 Cantonese  Serbian
 Creole  Shona
 Croatian  Somali
 Dari  Spanish
 English (also  Swahili
Special  Thai
English)  Tibetan
 Tigrigna
 Turkish
 French  Ukrainian
 Georgian  Urdu
 Greek  Uzbek
 Hindi  Vietnamese
 Hausa
 Indonesian
 Khmer
 Korean
 Kurdish
Here is a chart that shows the Working Sequence of VOICE OF AMERICA according to their activities and
area division.

VOICE OF AMERICA is working across more the 71 countries of the world with its servers. To divide the news
according to their areas VOICE OF AMERICA divides its News area as;

o News and information all about USA.

o News and information all about Africa. (More divide in East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, Centurial
Africa, North Africa and Pan Africa.
 o News about Asian countries as East Asia and Pacific, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia.
o News and information about European countries
o Then Middle East News as Israel-Palestinians, Iran, Iraq, Human Rights there, middle East in Transition,
their economy and business news.
o Then it informs about different Art and entertainment sectors, Economy of different countries and world
sectors.
o Voices of America also discuss different issues of the world.
The chart shows the division of sectors of news also

Transmission Facilities
One of VOICE OF AMERICA's radio transmitter facilities was originally based on a 625-acre site in Union Township
(now West Chester Township) in Butler County, Ohio, near Cincinnati. The Bethany Relay Station operated from
1944 to 1994. Other former sites include California (Dixon), Hawaii, Okinawa, Liberia, Costa Rica, and Belize.
Currently, the VOICE OF AMERICA continues to operate shortwave radio transmitters and antenna farms at two sites
in the United States, located at Delano, California and Greenville, North Carolina respectively. The Delano site is
famous among radio enthusiasts for having a rare installation of a “TCI HRS 12/6/1 directional curtain array antenna".
The number of languages broadcast and the number of hours broadcast in each language vary according to the
priorities of the United States Government and the world situation. For example, in July 2007, VOICE OF AMERICA
added 30 minutes to its daily Somali radio broadcast, providing a full hour of live, up-to-the-minute news and
information to listeners.
VOICE OF AMERICA now reaches people on mobile devices and Face book, through Twitter feeds and call-in
programs. Many of the radio and television broadcasts are available through VOICE OF AMERICA's website at
www.VOANews.com.
One of the more unique features of the VOICE OF AMERICA is their Special English programming. Special English
programming is aimed at people who are not native English speakers. It uses simple language and very plain
sentence construction to convey information and promote English learning. Special English offerings are very popular
among listeners all over the world, providing news and information about American life and culture.

Managerial Hierarchy
The VOICE OF AMERICA's first organizational home was the U.S. Foreign Information Service, which later
became the overseas branch of the Office of War Information. Foreign Information Service’ (FIS) first director
was Robert E. Sherwood; Joseph Barnes was his deputy and chief of the New York Office. At present VOICE
OF AMERICA have the following members:

KEY EXECUTIVES

Danforth Austin: (Director of VOICE OF AMERICA)

As Director of VOICE OF AMERICA, Austin oversees a worldwide multimedia broadcasting

operation in 44 languages reaching an estimated 123 million people each week via radio,
television and the Internet.

Barbara Brady: (Chief of Staff of VOICE OF AMERICA)

Barbara Brady was named Acting Chief of Staff in January 2008. Prior to that, she served as
Senior Advisor to the Deputy Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau since June 2007.

William A. Marsh: (Senior Advisor in VOICE OF AMERICA)

Will Marsh, Senior Advisor to the VOICE OF AMERICA Director since 2001, serves as advisor on
VOICE OF AMERICA policy and management matters and coordinates a variety of activities on
behalf of the Director.

Steve Redisch: (Executive Editor in VOICE OF AMERICA)

VOICE OF AMERICA’s Executive Editor, Steve Redisch, functions as VOICE OF AMERICA’s chief
operating officer. He supervises the daily operations and activities of VOICE OF AMERICA's news,
programs, language services, broadcast operations, and Internet departments.

John E. Lennon: (Associate Director for Language Programming in VOICE OF AMERICA)

John Lennon oversees programming for VOICE OF AMERICA's 44 language services, facilitating
the ongoing development of a vibrant multi-media organization.

Mark Prahl: (Associate Director for Operations in VOICE OF AMERICA)

Mark Prahl is responsible for planning, directing, and coordinating VOICE OF AMERICA's radio
and television technical operations, and for the overall management of the financial and human
resources employed in the Operations Directorate.
HIERARCHY CHART

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EXPERTS

Steven L. Herman (Seoul Bureau Chief & Correspondent)

Steve Herman has been covering the earthquake & tsunami disaster on the ground since March
11. He speaks Japanese, having lived there for 18 years. He is VOICE OF AMERICA's Seoul
bureau chief.

Lwin Htun Than (Chief of Burmese Service)

Lwin Htun Than, Chief of VOICE OF AMERICA’s Burmese Service, was a student leader during
the 1988 uprising against Burma’s military government and fled through the jungle to reach
Thailand. See what he has to say inside.

Spozhmai Maiwandi (Director of South Asia Division)

Spozhmai Maiwandi, Director of VOICE OF AMERICA’s South Asia Division, speaks most of the
region’s languages, and is highly knowledgeable about its culture and religion. See what she has
to say inside.

Myroslava Gongadze (TV anchor and reporter for VOICE OF AMERICA's Ukrainian Service)

Myroslava Gongadze is an award-winning journalist and an advocate for independent media. See
what she has to say inside.

Al Pessin (Pentagon correspondent)

Veteran journalist Al Pessin, VOICE OF AMERICA’s Pentagon correspondent since 2005, has in-
depth knowledge of the U.S. military and its civilian leadership. See what he has to say inside.

Parke Brewer (Sports Editor)

Parke Brewer, VOICE OF AMERICA Sports Editor since 1987, specializes in covering U.S. and
international sports for a global audience. See what he has to say inside.

Setareh Derakhshesh (Anchor and Managing Editor of "Tonight’s News")

Setareh Derakhshesh is a lead anchor on VOICE OF AMERICA’s Persian News Network (PNN). William C.
(Bill) Baum (Director, East Asia & Pacific Division)

Bill Baum, Director of VOICE OF AMERICA’s East Asia & Pacific Division, was previously Chief
of VOICE OF AMERICA’s Chinese Branch.

Working

The VOICE OF AMERICA has been a part of several agencies. From 1942 to 1945, it was part of the Office of War
Information, and then from 1945 to 1953 as a function of the State Department. The VOICE OF AMERICA was
placed under the U.S. Information Agency in 1953. When the United States Information Agency (USIA) was
abolished in 1999, the VOICE OF AMERICA was placed under the Broadcasting Board of Directors, which is an
autonomous U.S. government agency, with bipartisan membership. The Secretary of State has a seat on the
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). VOICE OF AMERICA's parent organization is the presidentially-appointed
Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG was established as a buffer to protect VOICE OF AMERICA and
other United State sponsored non-military, international broadcasters from political interference.
From its inception, VOICE OF AMERICA supported democratic ideals and informed millions about American culture
and policies. The results were mixed. Although Willis Conover's “Music USA” popularized jazz abroad, VOICE OF
AMERICA's coverage of such topic as the Vietnam War and Watergate drew criticism. In 1985, Congress established
“Radio Martí,” operating under the standards of the VOICE OF AMERICA charter, to broadcast to Cuba. VOICE OF
AMERICA was beset by budgetary problems, political interference, and foreign censorship from the first, and the end
of the Cold War did not diminish these difficulties. The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 placed VOICE OF
AMERICA under the control of a board of governors. Despite problems and constraints, however, VOICE OF
AMERICA remained the official voice of the U.S. government to the world as the twentieth century ended.

Comparing VOICE OF AMERICA and other broadcasters

In 1996, the USA's international radio output consisted of 992 hours per week by VOICE OF AMERICA, 667 hours
per week by RFE/RL, and 162 hours per week by Radio Marti.

Estimated total direct programmed hours per week of some external radio broadcasters
Broadcaster 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 1996
VOICE OF AMERICA, RFE/RL & Radio Marti 497 1,495 1,907 1,901 2,611 1,821
China Radio International 66 687 1,267 1,350 1,515 1,620
BBC World Service 643 589 723 719 796 1,036
Radio Moscow / Voice of Russia[2] 533 1,015 1,908 2,094 1,876 726
Deutsche Welle 0 315 779 804 848 655
Radio Cairo / ERTU 0 301 540 546 605 604
Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting 12 24 155 175 400 575
All India Radio 116 157 271 389 456 500
NHK World Radio Japan 0 203 259 259 343 468
Radio France Internationale 198 326 200 125 379 459
Radio Netherlands 127 178 335 289 323 392
Israel Radio International 0 91 158 210 253 365
Voice of Turkey 40 77 88 199 322 364
Radio Pyongyang / Voice of Korea 0 159 330 597 534 364
Radio Bulgaria 30 117 164 236 320 338
Radio Australia 181 257 350 333 330 307
Radio Tirana 26 63 487 560 451 303
Radio Romania International 30 159 185 198 199 298
Radio Exterior de España 68 202 251 239 403 270
Radiodifusão Portuguesa Internacional 46 133 295 214 203 226
Radio Havana Cuba 0 0 320 424 352 203
Radio RAI International 170 205 165 169 181 203
Radio Canada International 85 80 98 134 195 175
Radio Polonia 131 232 334 337 292 171
Radio RSA / Channel Africa 0 63 150 183 156 159
Sveriges Radio International 28 114 140 155 167 149
Magyar Rádió 76 120 105 127 102 144
Radio Prague 119 196 202 255 131 131
Voice of Nigeria 0 0 62 170 120 127
Radio Belgrade 80 70 76 72 96 68
Source: International Broadcast Audience Research, June 1996.The list includes about a quarter of the world's external
broadcasters whose output is both publicly funded and worldwide. Among those excluded are Taiwan, Vietnam, South
Korea and various international commercial and religious stations.

A
Senate Foreign Relations Committee report in June summarized public diplomacy spending for fiscal 2008 using figures
from the Government Accountability Office.
 In 1994, the VOICE OF AMERICA became the first international broadcaster to offer its material
through the Internet. Initially, the site offered information through two simple text-based formats, then added
audio and video.  Within a few years, VOICE OF AMERICA had become an increasingly important source of
news on the Internet. By the end of 1999, much of the programming in each language was available on the
web. The digital project also included the installation of 24 Mix/Dub Centers. By 2002, WORLDNET switched
from an analog to a digital system and, to streamline VOICE OF AMERICA’s radio and TV programming,
WORLDNET and VOICE OF AMERICA merged in May 2004.

By 2005, VOICE OF AMERICANews.com, was sixth in the world in Newsknife’s ranking of the top 10
news sites. Today, VOICE OF AMERICA offers its news content on the Internet in all of its broadcast
languages, some in a variety of formats, including podcasts, online chats, and RSS feeds.

At present VOICE OF AMERICA is providing news information about different sectors of world in different
categories. It provides news about different sectors of the world. It focus on each sector as Arts and entertainment,
music, literature, life style, art and culture, Economy, Education, Environment, Health, Religion, Science & technology
And sports. VOICE OF AMERICA is one of the largest International broadcasting services of the world. So, naturally
there web presence gets more attention than any other ordinary news site. VOICE OF AMERICA Using Facebook
to teach English. Students can submit questions and be part of a free, hour-long, interactive language learning
experience that uses materials and lessons from The Classroom, VOICE OF AMERICA’s new on-line learning
program.

Using VOICE OF AMERICA through internet VOICE OF AMERICA’s podcasting service offers three ways to
subscribe to programs anyone may wish to play anytime on portable media players or on most computers :

1. iTunes: If someone have iTunes installed on his computer, he can click on the iTunes button under the program
description, then follow the directions in iTunes to subscribe.
2. MyYahoo: If someone has a Yahoo account he can subscribe using MyYahoo. For using that he must click on
the MyYahoo button under the program description, and then follow the directions in Yahoo to subscribe.
3. RSS: If someone does not have iTunes or a Yahoo account, he can use any podcast or RSS reader to
subscribe. For doing this he has to copy the subscription link listed under the program description to use in his
podcast or RSS reader.

To listen or watch without subscribing:

Anyone can listen or watch a podcast directly from the official page of VOICE OF AMERICA. For listening or
watching he has to click on the Listen or Watch button under the program description.

Urdu Service
As the VOICE OF AMERICA works in 44 languages. In each country VOICE OF AMERICA inform people
in their national language. It gives news in all 44 languages on internet but it also telecast news in different
languages on TV channels of different countries. As in Pakistan VOICE OF AMERICA is providing us news and
information in Urdu language through a private news Chanel named as Geo News with the name of VOICE OF
AMERICA’s program “Khabron se Aage (Beyond the Headlines)”
The VOICE OF AMERICA's Urdu-language program “Khabron Se Aage “is telecast in Pakistan by GEO TV, VOICE
OF AMERICA's affiliate and one of the country's most popular stations. VOICE OF AMERICA pays money to GEO
TV to telecast its broadcast .This half-hour program features reports on politics, social issues, science, sports,
culture, entertainment, and other issues of interest to Pakistanis as seen by the US government.
Here in Pakistan VOICE OF AMERICA Radio is 2nd popular service after BBC radio. If we rank Urdu news sites in
Pakistan, VOICE OF AMERICA Urdu comes after BBC Urdu & Jang Online. News sites are quite popular among
Pakistan internet population. So, lower in ranks doesn’t mean VOICE OF AMERICA Urdu is totally out of competition.
In the field of Urdu news in written form, earlier VOICE OF AMERICA Urdu was using Urdu Naskh Asia type as
primary font for their site. Originally Urdu Naskh Asia type was developed by Liwal Software for BBCurdu.com.
“Naskh” style is basically for Arabic while Urdu has its own writing style called “Nastaleeq“. Few months back it was
only a dream to use a Nastaleeq font that can work equally fine on all Operating Systems as well all browsers. But
from the end of 2008 VOICE OF AMERICA is using this style of font while writing its Urdu news.

Future Plans
Over 123 million listeners and viewers worldwide tune in to VOICE OF AMERICA programming. According
to its charter, the VOICE OF AMERICA is accurate, objective, and comprehensive, and aims to represent all
segments of American society and thought. It clearly represents the policies of the United States at home and
abroad. In addition to running numerous region desks and stations, the VOICE OF AMERICA also provides content
to radio stations worldwide.
Each week, VOICE OF AMERICA airs more than nine hundred hours of programming. Its chief aims are to
serve as a reliable and objective news source, to represent all aspects of American society, and to present the
policies of the United States. VOICE OF AMERICA’s expansion into television and the Internet help its
broadcaster ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

Its mission is to promote freedom and democracy and enhance understanding through multimedia
communication of accurate, objective, and balanced news, information and other programming about America and
the world to audiences overseas.
As VOICE OF AMERICA is collecting news from all around the world, they are also introducing new
programs for learning English. As on March 1, 2011 VOICE OF AMERICA has a new on-line destination for
Russian speakers who want to learn English. It is loaded with useful tools that makes learning English fun, and
easy. The program is free for use.

MEDIA RELATIONS

VOICE OF AMERICA’s Public Relations Office also provides many options for members of the media
to learn more about VOICE OF AMERICA’s people, programs and events. VOICE OF AMERICA is working
around the clock to serve its audience. Working in different sectors of the world having people of different
minds, mostly it has a good image in the minds of people. People around the world have different opinion about
VOICE OF AMERICA .There are some people have argues against it but there may be some prejudice minded
People who always try to argue against it. But people of America, Europe, Africa and Middle East mostly like
it. As Moises Naim says;

A technology for teenagers became a force for political and economic change. As the VOICE OF AMERICA
is providing information along with advance technology and Youtube is offering video sharing.

Mr. Frazzled Employee of Voice of America says “When you come to work at VOA from an outside, private
sector media organization, liked I did, you are in for the shock of your life. There are a large number of issues that
create a horrible work environment. At the top level they are truly trying to make changes, but if you have the same
middle-managers in place for 15 or more years, managers who have been promoted to high levels for doing mediocre
or even bad jobs, why should we expect anything to change? VOA needs a serious outside intervention or I predict
that in the coming years nothing will improve, poor survey results will continue and eventually another lawsuit will be
filed. I truly believe that if the American taxpayer had any idea that there money was used to pay people to produce
such low-level progress they feel worse”

Laurie Kassman argues that VOICE OF AMERICA is on the verge of disappearing as a global network.

Another person says “I don't want to accumulate more of that trash and Pro-Islamic propend on the Urdu
VOA webpage. I can conclude that the VOICE OF AMERICA - at least in its Urdu Service - is occupied with
consistent brainwashing and pro-Islamic propaganda. I am no American but I find it scandalous that this propaganda
is financed by the clueless American taxpayer and is carried out under the lofty slogans of "credibility, which reflects
our vigorous adherence to the Charter and VOICE OF AMERICA's Journalistic Code, calling for reliable and
unbiased reporting". If what obtains to the Urdu Service is valid to other VOICE OF AMERICA services, then it's a
shame that. (Daniel Pipes)
There was a recommendations about VOICE OF AMERICA in opinions of peoples as “VOICE OF
AMERICA should require all bidders on the managing editor (Central News Division director) position to demonstrate
a strong record of leadership skills and make this criterion an essential factor in the position description requirements”
and
“VOICE OF AMERICA management should make adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity concerns
and leadership training a part of all supervisors’ performance plans and their annual assessment ratings”
A person suggests and says “They do not align with the business, Advice to Senior Management. Bring your skill set
up to date and incorporate process”

The sexual harassment and hijack issue(We prove that We can) causes a dangerous effect on the mind of some
people that leave the worse comments for readers like there was a comment for VOICE OF AMERICA “apparently
their English is good but their cyber abilities are worse”

Unethical Matters

There are some issues which arise against VOICE OF AMERICA as unethical works done by them.

 As Melodi Navab-Safavi said VOICE OF AMERICA terminated her contract in 2007 two weeks after the
band she sang with in her off-hours posted its song on youtube. She said the reason given was for making
an “anti American" video. In the video, "demokracy" by the band Abjeez, Navab-Safavi portrays a journalist
singing about the "hypocracy" of the war's stated aim of spreading democracy while the video's images
show bombs exploding in the streets, war-wounded Iraqi children and flag-draped coffins of U.S. soldiers.
 The Board of Governors, the Acting General Counsel and managers in the Persian News Network (PNN) of
VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA) have been sued in a $150 million USD complaint for covering up rampant and
widespread sexual harassment at the network. To make matters worse, the women who were harassed, and
in particular, the principal anchor and star of PNN, Ms. Elham Sataki, were then retaliated against by the
defendants when they complained of the sexual harassment.
 Mr Elias R. HUSSIEN also write a letter to the management of VOICE OF AMERICA and raise the issue
unethic activities in Ethopia he said that Time and time again VOICE OF AMERICA America broadcasters
demonstrated their unmistakably partial, irrational, incompetent, unethical, and unprofessional conduct.  For
the past few days these groups have been stirring violence and hate among Muslims and Christians in
Ethiopia by reporting exaggerated numbers of Churches burnt down by Muslims. Moreover their intentional
assertion of foreign involvement in the incident was indeed absurd and heart breaking to the millions of
Ethiopian VOICE OF AMERICA listeners. Undoubtedly such inaccurate and plain lie tarnishes the image of
the VOICE OF AMERICA and U.S.  Decades of our dependence on VOICE OF AMERICA for domestic
Ethiopian and world news has truly faded and VOICE OF AMERICA’s integrity as a reliable news outlet
worthy of attention is being shattered by your Amharic service staffs.
 WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 — State Department investigators have found that the head of the agency
overseeing most government broadcasts to foreign countries has used his office to run a “horse racing
operation” and that he improperly put a friend on the payroll, according to a summary of a report made
public on Tuesday by a Democratic lawmaker.
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, who oversees the Voice of America is that person. The report said that the
official, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, had repeatedly used government employees to perform personal errands
and that he billed the government for more days of work than the rules permit. Although the problem was out
of VOICE OF AMERICA but effect on its business.
 In his 1999 State of the Union address, President Clinton called upon Congress to support Radio
Democracy for Africa (RDA), an initiative to enhance VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasting to Africa to
promote the emerging democratization process. The President intends to entrust millions of taxpayer dollars
to an institution that is in need of serious self-examination. According to the mind of some people that was a
risky step.

Conclusion

VOICE OF AMERICA continues to examine new technologies and

refine its programming to reflect the needs of its audiences. One
goal remains, however, for the hundreds of professionals who make
up the VOICE OF AMERICA to deliver comprehensive, timely, and
truthful information. The VOICE OF AMERICA will continue to
broadcast the sounds of freedom and serve as a beacon of hope for
its millions of listeners, viewers, and Web users around the world.
  What were the resulting effects of the event of September 11, 2001 on VOICE OF AMERICA?
 While announcing sensitive news? Does the VOICE OF AMERICA perform its Ethical responsibilities well?
 What steps management of VOICE OF AMERICA can reduce the corruption and unethical issues?
 Dose the VOICE OF AMERICA tries to protect to the other Nations of the world also as he represent the
American Nation?

VOICE OF AMERICA always takes the highest standards of journalistic professionalism and integrity. They
work to foster teamwork, goodwill, and civil discourse in the workplace and with their colleagues everywhere in
the world, all to enhance the credibility and effectiveness of the VOICE OF AMERICA. When performing
official duties, VOICE OF AMERICA broadcasters leave their personal political views behind. The accuracy,
quality, and credibility of the VOICE OF AMERICA are its most important assets, and they rest on listeners'
perception of VOICE OF AMERICA as an objective source of world, regional, and U.S. news and information.
For doing their duties accurately members of VOICE OF AMERICA always try to travel on regular, non-
diplomatic passports. Assist managers whose duty is to ensure that no VOICE OF AMERICA employee,
contract employee, or stringer works for any other U.S. government agency, any official media of another
state, or any international organization, without specific VOICE OF AMERICA authorization. So that the
interruption of any other network can never ever be rose. All the Broadcasters adhere strictly to copyright laws
and agency regulations and always credit the source when quoting, paraphrasing, or excerpting from other
broadcasting organizations, books, periodicals or any print media. In addition to these journalistic standards
and principles, VOICE OF AMERICA employees recognize that their conduct both on and off the job can
reflect on the work of the VOICE OF AMERICA community. To protect the integrity of VOICE OF AMERICA
programming and define the organization's mission, the VOICE OF AMERICA Charter was prepared in 1960
and later signed into law on July 12, 1976, by President Gerald Ford. There are some rules, to which VOICE
OF AMERICA has to follow. That define that the long-range interests of the VOICE OF AMERICA are served
by communicating directly with the peoples of the world by radio. It is the aim of VOICE OF AMERICA to win
the attention and respect of listeners. These principles will therefore govern VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA)
broadcasts:

1. VOICE OF AMERICA will serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news. VOICE OF
AMERICA news will be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.
2. VOICE OF AMERICA will represent America, not any single segment of American society, and will
therefore present a balanced and comprehensive projection of significant American thought and
institutions.
3. VOICE OF AMERICA will present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively, and will also
present responsible discussions and opinion on these policies. (Public Law 94-350)

The events of September 11, 2001, and their aftermath underscore the vital role of U.S. international
broadcasting in moments of crisis. Within minutes of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon, VOICE OF AMERICA mobilized all of its multimedia resources to provide comprehensive coverage.
VOICE OF AMERICA moved to an all-news format, immediately expanded broadcasting in Arabic and Persian,
and WORLDNET interrupted regular programming on seven satellites to allow viewers around the world to see
raw footage of the attacks in New York and Washington. VOICE OF AMERICA extensively covered the U.S.-
led campaign in Afghanistan. To reach audiences in that critical part of the world, VOICE OF AMERICA
significantly increased its programming in the Dari and Pashto languages. Previous research had shown that,
on September 11th, the VOICE OF AMERICA had had the largest audience of any media outlet in
Afghanistan, including the local media. After seeing to the principles outlined in the Charter, VOICE OF
AMERICA reporters and broadcasters must strive for accuracy and objectivity in all their work. They do not
speak for the U.S. government. They accept no treatment or assistance from U.S. government officials or
agencies that is more favorable or less favorable than that granted to staff of private-sector news agencies.
Instead of that VOICE OF AMERICA professional are careful to preserve the integrity of their organization,
strive for excellence and avoid imbalance or bias in their broadcasts. There are some issues but they work
having in minds the words of the Founding Fathers for VOICE OF AMERICA, "a decent respect for the
opinions of mankind." At the top level they are truly trying to make changes, but they must try to do more work
according to the organizational chart and need to energize the working activities. VOICE OF AMERICA needs a
outside intervention. So the rising issues can be control. VOICE OF AMERICA should require all bidders on the
managing editor (Central News Division director) position to demonstrate a strong record of leadership skills and
make this criterion an essential factor in the position description requirements. VOICE OF AMERICA management
should make adherence to Equal Employment Opportunity concerns and leadership training a part of all supervisors’
performance plans and their annual assessment ratings. They are working good but they need to become the best
with their words “VOICE OF AMERICA a trusted source of News”

References

 www.voanewsews.com
 http://www.insidevoa.com/visit
 Report of inspection 2009 (VOA’s Persian news network)(Report no ISP-IB-09-27, march2009)
 http://www.encyclopedia.com
 www.wikipedia.com
 From the Official page of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)
 From the Official page United State Information Agency(USIA)
 From the Official page of the Federal government of the United States
 From the Official page of the International Broadcasting Bureau and Fact Sheet
 From the Official page of the Radio Sawa
 askvoa@voanews.com
 http://www.time.com
 www.geonews.com.pk
 www.Tigraionline.com
 www.mediapolitico.com
 www.FileGuru.Com
 http://www.manythings.org/voa/scripts/
 www.answer.com
 http://www.sourcewatch.org(GNU_Free_Documentation_License)
 From the site of Ethiopian free press (Mizanawi Zena) (Ethiopian VOA crisis)
 Article - a propaganda machine on behalf of Islam - caught red-handed Reader comments at Daniel Pipes
 Pictures from Voice of America history pages and form www.DCpages.com