Legacy and Challenges Today
While Voice of America (VOA) no longer faces the systemic jamming it endured during the Soviet era, it continues to grapple with a modern challenge: combating misinformation in the digital age. Despite these obstacles, VOA remains independent: “The news may be good. The news may be bad, but we shall tell you the truth.” [1] As Gia Melikishvili reflects in Saba Gudjabidze’s report commemorating VOA’s 70th anniversary, VOA was “a breath of fresh air” [2] during the Soviet regime, offering an alternative to state-controlled propaganda.
In the last few decades, VOA Georgian Service faced renewed responsibilities. Ia Meurmishvili highlights the critical responsibility of VOA’s modern-day reporting about Georgia and the United States [4] – maintaining impartiality, especially in the politically charged landscape of both countries. VOA’s Georgian Service strives to provide a propaganda-free platform where Georgians can access fact-based news about the political, economic or social developments in the United States. This goal was crucial during Soviet times, when anti-West misinformation was embedded in the system, and it remains essential today in maintaining open and cordial Georgian-U.S. relations.
Amid polarized political climates and media landscapes in both the U.S. and Georgia, VOA Georgian Service continues to uphold its independence as outlined in the Foreign Affairs Reform and Reconstructing Act of 1998, which made The Broadcasting Board of Governors a federally funded independent agency. [5] This independence remains a cornerstone of VOA’s reputation as a free media outlet. In one year alone, the VOA Georgian Service website attracted over 4 million visits. [6]
According to the U.S. Agency for Global Media's (USAGM) 2024 Audience and Impact Analysis, [7] the Voice of America (VOA) recorded the highest weekly audience growth among USAGM agencies, with a 26% increase, reaching an additional 354 million viewers. The analysis highlights that Georgia is included within the Near East, South and Central Asia, West Asia, and Eurasia regions, where VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) together reach a total audience of 100.2 million individuals. Furthermore, VOA ranks as one of the top agencies in terms of program credibility and its ability to shape opinions on critical issues. Throughout Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine, VOA has been banned from broadcasting in Russia. In response, online article consumption has significantly increased. [8]
Given the looming imperialist threat from the North, VOA Georgian Services play a crucial role in highlighting the United States’ commitment to supporting Georgia’s sovereignty. VOA Georgian provides extensive coverage of news from Washington, D.C., including policies and events involving the White House, Congress, and the State Department.… [9] Its mission is to deliver succinct analyses of U.S. decision-making, illustrating how these policies impact Georgia and its strategic partnership with the U.S., essential for achieving Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations.
With Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, unresolved conflicts like Abkhazia and South Ossetia (Samachablo), rising authoritarianism in parts of the EU, [10] and political polarization in the U.S., it is more critical than ever for Georgians to avoid falling into an information vacuum. VOA Georgian Services, guided by their Firewall and Charter mandates, equip the Georgian people to withstand such pressures.
VoA was shut down when President Trump signed an Executive Order on 14 March, 2025, which dismantled or severely cut seven agencies including the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and VoA (which is a federal agency). After a series of appeals in the courts against the shutdown, VoA has suspended broadcasts, but is waiting for a final court decision to determine whether it can resume its activity. The VoA Georgian service is vital to the maintenance of a free and independent media in Georgia.
References
[1] William Harlan Hale, First VOA Broadcast (1942). Cold War Radio Museum (2022). https://www.coldwarradiomuseum.com/timeline/quote-the-news-may-be-good-for-us-the-news-may-be-bad-but-we-shall-tell-you-the-truth-william-harlan-halle/
[2] “70 წელი დაარსებიდან - “ამერიკის ხმის” ქართული რედაქციის გუნდი.” საბა გუჯაბიძე, 2021. ამერიკის ხმა. English: “70 years since its Founding – Georgian team at VOA.” Saba Gudjabidze, 2021. VOA Georgian Services. https://www.amerikiskhma.com/a/voa-georgian-70th-year-anyversary/5905299.html
[3] “Голос Соединенных Штатов Америки” (Voice of the United States of America), Voice of America (VOA) mic logo in Russian from a photograph taken sometime between 1947 and the early 1950s. Cold War Museum. https://www.coldwarradiomuseum.com/80-years-of-voa-different-names-of-the-voice-of-america/
[4] “70 წელი დაარსებიდან - “ამერიკის ხმის” ქართული რედაქციის გუნდი.” საბა გუჯაბიძე, 2021. ამერიკის ხმა. English: “70 years since its Founding – Georgian team at VOA.” Saba Gudjabidze, 2021. VOA Georgian Services. https://www.amerikiskhma.com/a/voa-georgian-70th-year-anyversary/5905299.html
[5] Broadcasting Board of Governors. Federal Register: The Daily Journal of the United States Government.
http://www.bbg.gov/
[6] “70 წელი დაარსებიდან - “ამერიკის ხმის” ქართული რედაქციის გუნდი.” საბა გუჯაბიძე, 2021. ამერიკის ხმა. English: “70 years since its Founding – Georgian team at VOA.” Saba Gudjabidze, 2021. VOA Georgian Services. https://www.amerikiskhma.com/a/voa-georgian-70th-year-anyversary/5905299.html
[7] “Audience and Impact. Overview for 2024.” U.S. Agency for Global Media, 2024. https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/USAGM_Audience_and_Impact_Report_2024_11x17version_4-30-24.pdf
[8] VOA One Sheet (2024). U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). https://www.usagm.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/USAGM-VOA-OneSheet-11-06-24.pdf
[9] „The Voice of America: A Worthy Mission for the 21st Century.“ Joseph Burns, 2014. USC Center on Public Diplomacy. https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/voice-america-worthy-mission-21st-century
[10] “Authoritarianism and its Effect on the European Union and Democracy.” Anna Thorner, 2024. Democratic Erosion Consortium. https://www.democratic-erosion.com/2024/05/08/authoritarianism-and-its-effect-on-the-european-union-and-democracy/