Voice of America: A History

From Booklist
Heil, a former correspondent and deputy director of the Voice of America, offers an inside look at the publicly funded overseas broadcasting network that is little known in the U.S. In operation for more than 60 years, heard around the world in more than 50 languages, the VOA is at the intersection of journalism and diplomacy. Heil recalls the history of VOA and its growth from a propaganda organ of the U.S. State Department to a respected news organization. Interspersed with actual transcripts of VOA broadcasts, the book offers insights into the tensions among the U.S. government, foreign nations, the independent press, and VOA in coverage of World War II, the cold war, Vietnam, and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Heil also details the challenges faced by VOA in staffing, transmission, language barriers, and maintaining a delicate balance between reporting the news objectively and remaining sensitive to U.S. foreign policy. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Anyone looking for a richer understanding of recent international information activities will find this work worthwhile." -- Laura A. Belmont, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society


Review
"This remarkable book details what the Voice of America is all about -- getting the message out straight -- and the Voice's lasting gift to the nation and its tens of millions of listeners around the world. No one could tell this fascinating story better than Alan Heil." -- Richard Cole,, Dean, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


Book Description
This book is an "insider's story," reflecting the transformation of VOA from a propaganda organ to a respected source of information, from shortwave in World War II to multimedia in the twenty-first century, from a wartime base of relatively few listeners in its first weeks to a global network combining radio, television, and the Internet. This book shows how VOA reflects as well as confronts the challenges of our times.


About the Author
Alan L. Heil, Jr., worked for the Voice of America from 1962 until he retired in 1998. He held various positions at VOA, including foreign correspondent, chief of News and Current Affairs, and deputy director.


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Written by a former deputy director of the media giant birthed as an American propaganda organ, this boosterish history concentrates on events at and reported by the Voice of America (VOA) from the 1960s onwards. He frequently uses transcripts from the radio broadcasting to demonstrate how the VOA dealt with such events as the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the Rwanda genocide, Israel's Six Days War, and the first American-Iraqi war. In addition to the focus on the VOA's response to world history, are chapters discussing the networks use of language and music and its expansion into the multimedia environment. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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