Death by a 1000 Cut: Is the Government Trying to Kill VOA Radio Transmissions?

Helle Dale / November 15, 2010

Does radio still play a role in a world where that is increasingly cyber-connected and populated by smart phone users? The answer, according to Google’s Director of Policy and Planning Bob Boorstin, is very much a “yes.”

At a panel discussion of the new media and foreign policy hosted by the World Affairs Councils of America at the Mayflower Hotel on November 5, 2010, Boorstin declared himself a big supporter of radio, reminding the audience that “there are many areas of the world which do not have access to the Internet, or even electricity.” In those areas, radio is the only way to reach an audience. The same goes for disaster areas like Haiti. In many countries, moreover, the government seeks to control Internet and cell phone networks, making them vulnerable media. (more…)