Sci/Tech Attn Americanos

[megatherium]

Do any of you'all get Voice Of America in your local cable tv packages? I have long been interested in comparing and contrasting the service with domestic CNN programming but, sadly, I do not receive VOA up here in Canada. The US congress voted to allow VOA programming to be broadcast domestically a few years ago but I have yet to encounter anyone who actually has local access to it.

Interestingly, we receive the domestic US fluff version of CNN up here, not the vastly superior CNN international service as one might assume. Why this would be is anyone's guess.

Anyway, feel free to chime in with your VOA/CNN comparisons if you have them.

 

[SuperPig]

 

[megatherium]

The bill that green lit VOA for the American airwaves was kind of groundbreaking in that it legalized the broadcast of US government propaganda to domestic American audiences for the first time. Not like we didn't have a great deal of this to begin with (cough *CNN) but this bill really dispensed with all pretense to the contrary. The bill passed quietly at the time at but it certainly raised an eyebrow over here with yours truly.

 

[megatherium]

Has CNN been quietly repurposed as VOA domestic?

 

[Thuglife13]

Wow I've never heard of VOA and there is a headline about it on one of the websites I visit today...

Voice Of America Currently Employs A Former Russian Anti-U.S. Propagandist

 

[SuperPig]

Home Page | Voice of America - English

Today I learned that this was even a thing...

 

[KWingJitsu]

I used to get it when I was not in America. Surprised its still around.

 

[megatherium]

Since WW2 at least, VOA has been the broadcast propaganda arm of the US government deployed in places like Soviet bloc Eastern Europe, Red China etc. That is until congress quietly passed a bill enabling VOA to be broadcast domestically. At around the same time, CNN began to resemble a propaganda organ for the US intelligence agencies (my impression hehe) I guess I'm anxious to connect with anyone that may have access to both services to get their impressions of the two, how they may contrast and compare. But it seems most cable services don't carry VOA in the US yet. So far as I can tell anyway.

U.S. Repeals Propaganda Ban, Spreads Government-Made News to Americans

Americans Finally Have Access to American Propaganda

 

[megatherium]

I used to get it when I was not in America. Surprised its still around.

Have you consumed VOA recently enough to venture a comparison with recent CNN programme?

 

[KWingJitsu]

Have you consumed VOA recently enough to venture a comparison with recent CNN programme?

Not recently (it's been over a decade and a half). But I will say this; when I consumed it, there wasn't any political slant or agenda - or at least none that was perceived. It was just straight news - no slant (like its supposed be be, I'd say).

There is/was also a U.K. counterpart & for the life of me I can't remember the name.

 

[megatherium]

If anyone feels like searching their cable menus to see if VOA is buried in there somewhere I'd be obliged.

For instance here in Vancouver BC RT is buried way down the dial on channel 505 but is available in most basic packages.

 

[megatherium]

Not recently (it's been over a decade and a half). But I will say this; when I consumed it, there wasn't any political slant or agenda - or at least none that was perceived. It was just straight news - no slant (like its supposed be be, I'd say).

There is/was also a U.K. counterpart & for the life of me I can't remember the name.

Yes the British have been at this for at least as long as the US has.

I can't recall the name of it either

 

[megatherium]

Watch | Voice of America - English

CNN News USA Live Streaming - CNN Live Stream Online

 

[megatherium]

Actually having watched a little bit of VOA online just now it seems quite good, similar to other state broadcasters like BBC and CBC, less preachy than them actually. My CNN comparison turns out to be way off base.

CNN would possibly be more like Radio Free Europe but again, how to compare?