THIS IS AMERICA - VOA's 60th Anniversary

THIS IS AMERICA -February 11, 2002: VOA's 60th Anniversary

By Jerilyn Watson
VOICE ONE:

February Twenty-Fourth marks the sixtieth anniversary of the first broadcast on the Voice of America. This year,
VOA will be honoring its past and looking forward to its future. I’m Sarah Long.

VOICE TWO:

And I’m Steve Ember. The history of the Voice of America is our report today on the VOA Special English
program, THIS IS AMERICA.

((THEME))

VOICE ONE:

The world has changed much since the first VOA broadcast sixty years ago. When listeners first heard VOA on
that February day in Nineteen-Forty-Two, the United States had recently entered World War Two. The country
was fighting against Germany and Japan. At the time, Germany was broadcasting radio programs to gain
international support for its position.

American officials believed they should answer the German broadcasts with the truth about world events. The
first VOA broadcast was a short report in the German language. It began with these words: “Here speak voices
from America. Everyday at this time we will bring you the news of the war. The news may be good. The news
may be bad. We shall tell you the truth.
”

That first broadcast was prepared by just a few people working in three small offices in New York City. Within a
week, other VOA announcers were broadcasting in Italian, French and English.

VOICE TWO:

Since then, the Voice of America has expanded to include more than one-thousand employees. They produce
more than one-thousand hours of programs every week. VOA broadcasts in fifty-three languages.VOA uses
satellites to send its broadcasts around the world. Radio stations in Asia, Europe and Latin America are
broadcasting VOA programs over F-M and medium-wave frequencies.

As many as ninety-one million people around the world listen to the Voice of America each week. People can
also hear programs and read stories on the Internet Web site, w-w-w-dot-voanews-dot-com. VOA also produces
television programs that are broadcast by satellite.

VOICE ONE:

However, VOA almost did not survive beyond World War Two. When the war ended in Nineteen-Forty-Five,
some Americans felt that VOA’s purpose also had ended. Many members of Congress believed a government
radio service was not needed in peacetime.

Before anyone took steps to close the agency, however, a new development took place. The United States and the
Soviet¹ Union
–
former allies²
–
became enemies.

Many American politicians saw a new need for the Voice of America. They wanted to reach listeners in the
Soviet Union, which had no independent press. In Nineteen-Forty-Seven, VOA began broadcasting programs in
the Russian language.

VOICE TWO:


In those early years, VOA also began adding something new to its broadcasts: music. In Nineteen-Fifty-Five,
music expert Willis Conover broadcast his first jazz show on the program called "Music U-S-A.
”
American jazz
was not permitted in eastern Europe and the Soviet Union at that time. Willis Conover’s programs became
hugely popular.

In fact, many observers believe he helped create an important jazz movement in eastern Europe. For forty years,
he brought the jazz music of performers like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker to millions of
listeners.

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Fifty-Nine, VOA added another new kind of program to its broadcasts. VOA officials knew that
many listeners understood some English. But the listeners did not know enough to completely understand normal
English-language broadcasts. So, VOA officials invented a simpler kind of English. It uses about one-thousandfive
-hundred words. And, it is spoken slowly. Of course, you are listening to it now: Special English.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE TWO:

VOA has reported many major news events during the past sixty years. For example, in July of Nineteen-Sixty-
Nine, four-hundred-fifty-million people listened as an American space vehicle landed on the moon. VOA
broadcast the words of Astronaut Neil Armstrong as he stepped onto the surface of the moon.

As the years passed, VOA continued to provide news of major events. In August, Nineteen-Ninety-One, VOA
Russian language broadcasters reported the attempted ouster of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. On December
Thirty-First, VOA reported ceremonies marking the end of the Soviet Union. Reporters told the story from Red
Square in Moscow.

VOICE ONE:

In Nineteen-Ninety-Four, VOA became the first international broadcaster to offer its material on the Internet.
VOA also started its first telephone call-in program, Talk to America.
”
The program presents experts discussing
important issues. People around the world call the program and ask questions or give their comments.

Also in Nineteen-Ninety-Four, the Mandarin³ Chinese language service launched “China Forum⁴.
”
It was
VOA’s first radio and television program broadcast at the same time. The program is broadcast by satellite,
shortwave and medium-wave radio to people in China.

In Nineteen-Ninety-Eight, VOA joined an international effort to end the disease polio. VOA broadcast to Africa,
South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East in sixteen languages. Reported new cases of polio in affected⁵
countries dropped ninety -nine percent by Two-Thousand -One.

VOICE TWO:

Today, VOA “News Now”
broadcasters present the latest news and information in English twenty-four hours
a day. News Now includes reports from VOA correspondents⁶ in the United States and around the world. It also
includes stories about sports, science, business and entertainment.

Last September, VOA told the world about the terrorist⁷ attacks on the United States. Reporters provided news
from the targeted areas in New York City and near Washington, D.C. They followed the recovery efforts at the
World Trade Center and the Defense⁸ Department headquarters. The Dari and Pashto language services of VOA
are continuing to report to Afghanistan during the current war on terrorism.

((MUSIC BRIDGE))

VOICE ONE:

A major test for VOA news came during the Watergate political crisis⁹. Watergate was the series of events that led
President Richard Nixon to resign in Nineteen -Seventy-Four. For months, VOA broadcast all the news about


charges of illegal campaign activities by White House officials. Some Administration officials objected to the

broadcasts.
Later, there were demands for a clear legal statement of what VOA’s purpose should be. Congress answered by
writing a new law. President Gerald Ford¹⁰ signed it in Nineteen-Seventy-Six.

VOICE TWO:
The law contains a statement of what the Voice of America must do. The statement has three parts. First, it says,
VOA will present news that is truthful¹¹, fair and complete. Second, VOA will present a balanced picture of all

sides of American life. And third, VOA will present the policies of the United States government, as well as
opinions supporting and opposing those policies.
Official policies are broadcast in short messages called “editorials¹².
”
Writers in an office separate from the

newsroom produce the editorials.
VOICE ONE:
However, the law did not end debate about the purpose of VOA. The debate continues today, as VOA reports

about the war on terrorism. Some people say VOA should not broadcast stories containing material critical of the
United States. Other people say listeners would reject pro-government programs as propaganda¹³. And they say
such programs would violate¹⁴ the law that says programs must be truthful and balanced.

((MUSIC BRIDGE)
)
VOICE TWO:
During sixty years of broadcasting, people in many countries have written to VOA to tell how it has affected their

lives. For example, a farmer in China says VOA agriculture programs helped him learn what crops to plant. He
says his harvests have improved. A woman born in India says she learned English by listening to VOA. She was
able to continue her education with this increased language ability. She became a doctor.

For years, the military government of Burma has restricted the activities of opposition¹⁵ leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
One of the freedoms Aung San Suu Kyi has demanded is her right to listen to the Voice of America.
((THEME)
)
VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced by Caty Weaver¹⁶. I’m Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another report about life in the United States on the VOA
Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.

 

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1 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

2 allies   

联盟国，同盟者； 同盟国，同盟者( ally的名词复数 )； 支持者； 盟军

参考例句：

• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。
• A number of the United States' allies had urged him not to take a hasty decision. 美国的一些盟友已力劝他不要急于作决定。

3 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

4 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 correspondents   

n.通讯员，记者( correspondent的名词复数 )；通信者

参考例句：

• The New York Times has correspondents in France, Germany, and other countries. 《纽约时报》在法国、德国和其他国家都有特派［驻外］记者。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They said foreign correspondents who stayed too long in a place went blind. 他们说，驻外记者在一个地方待得太久就变得不能发现新事物了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 terrorist   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子

参考例句：

• Without the gun,I'm a sitting duck for any terrorist.没有这支枪，我就成了恐怖分子下手的目标了。
• The district was put on red alert during a terrorist's bomb scare.这个地区在得到恐怖分子炸弹恐吓后作了应急准备。

8 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

9 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

10 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

11 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

12 editorials   

n.社论（美）( editorial的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Newspaper editorials spoke of the need to sweep away corruption. 报纸社论论述了清除腐败的必要性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I take basic issue with the editorials you have written. 我对你们撰写的那几篇社论从根本上持反对意见。 来自辞典例句

13 propaganda   

n.宣传，宣传机构

参考例句：

• A lot of propaganda has painted him as bad.大量宣传把他说得很坏。
• Art may be used as a vehicle for propaganda.艺术可以用作为宣传的媒介。

14 violate   

vt.违反，违背，亵渎，侵犯，妨碍

参考例句：

• Those who violate traffic regulations should be punished.那些违反交通规定的人应该受处罚。
• Can they be allowed to violate rules and regulations at will?难道能容许他们随心所欲地破坏规章制度吗？

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。