Via the Washington Post, the Miami Herald’s Juan Tamayo reports that Voice of America, the U.S. government’s radio feed, will increase its reach into Latin America. This includes audiences in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, who have governments generally critical of the Obama administration.

Mitchell Polman has written a couple of pieces for Understanding Government that explains what VOA is and argues that, far from a propaganda tool, VOA has a rich history of enhancing diplomacy. This is what transpired, at least, toward the end of the Cold War. At its best, VOA explains American policy (namely public health policies) to different countries and cultures without being overbearing about it.

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