Steve Herman

And a lot of people will tell you in the realm of public diplomacy, this is probably the biggest bang for our buck in terms of the hard edge of soft power.

They did not shut it down, but we're seeing actually some of the language that I've seen in recent days coming out of the administration echoed what we had seen during that time, which was accusations that there were – You know, subversives in the voice of America. In other words, that there were somehow there were some foreign spies.

They did not shut it down, but we're seeing actually some of the language that I've seen in recent days coming out of the administration echoed what we had seen during that time, which was accusations that there were – You know, subversives in the voice of America. In other words, that there were somehow there were some foreign spies.

They did not shut it down, but we're seeing actually some of the language that I've seen in recent days coming out of the administration echoed what we had seen during that time, which was accusations that there were – You know, subversives in the voice of America. In other words, that there were somehow there were some foreign spies.

And so what they did is they canceled all the people on the J-1 visas and sent some of them back home. And that appears to be happening again. Some of these people will be going back possibly to end up in prison or worse.

And so what they did is they canceled all the people on the J-1 visas and sent some of them back home. And that appears to be happening again. Some of these people will be going back possibly to end up in prison or worse.

And so what they did is they canceled all the people on the J-1 visas and sent some of them back home. And that appears to be happening again. Some of these people will be going back possibly to end up in prison or worse.

Well, I think anytime you're getting a new politically appointed leader, you're anxious at least. But there was some hope based on public statements that she had made that she didn't want to destroy. Right. the voice of America. She wanted to reform it.

Well, I think anytime you're getting a new politically appointed leader, you're anxious at least. But there was some hope based on public statements that she had made that she didn't want to destroy. Right. the voice of America. She wanted to reform it.

Well, I think anytime you're getting a new politically appointed leader, you're anxious at least. But there was some hope based on public statements that she had made that she didn't want to destroy. Right. the voice of America. She wanted to reform it.

And we've seen this with past people who've come into the VOA with all sorts of politically motivated intentions, and they come in and see what the place is really about, and they go, aha, this isn't what I thought it was. Of course, everyone at VOA would acknowledge there's room for improvement, right?

And we've seen this with past people who've come into the VOA with all sorts of politically motivated intentions, and they come in and see what the place is really about, and they go, aha, this isn't what I thought it was. Of course, everyone at VOA would acknowledge there's room for improvement, right?

And we've seen this with past people who've come into the VOA with all sorts of politically motivated intentions, and they come in and see what the place is really about, and they go, aha, this isn't what I thought it was. Of course, everyone at VOA would acknowledge there's room for improvement, right?

There definitely can be reform and sometimes it's frustrating to us when you're using government money how slow it can be. But when I write a story, Sean, it goes through a couple of editors and then if there's anything remotely political in it, it would go through a balance editor, a third editor. I've even had stories that go through four editors.

There definitely can be reform and sometimes it's frustrating to us when you're using government money how slow it can be. But when I write a story, Sean, it goes through a couple of editors and then if there's anything remotely political in it, it would go through a balance editor, a third editor. I've even had stories that go through four editors.

There definitely can be reform and sometimes it's frustrating to us when you're using government money how slow it can be. But when I write a story, Sean, it goes through a couple of editors and then if there's anything remotely political in it, it would go through a balance editor, a third editor. I've even had stories that go through four editors.

And again, the stuff that gets out there is going to be shorn, hopefully, of being inaccurate, incomplete, or biased in any way.

And again, the stuff that gets out there is going to be shorn, hopefully, of being inaccurate, incomplete, or biased in any way.

And again, the stuff that gets out there is going to be shorn, hopefully, of being inaccurate, incomplete, or biased in any way.

You raise an excellent point. It makes it much more of a challenge to make this relevant to the American people because it's an external entity. And these sort of... exercises, activities will have geopolitical ramifications. The war in World War II was as much a battle for hearts and minds