David Ensor, Joan Shorenstein Fellow (fall 2015) and former director of Voice of America (VOA), introduces his new research paper making the case for strengthening VOA in order to grow U.S. soft power through the production and spread of journalism. VOA’s news programming, which is funded by the U.S. government but remains editorially independent, reaches almost 188 million people in more than 45 languages through a variety of platforms. Building upon Joseph Nye’s concept of soft power, Ensor argues that VOA is one of the U.S.’s most valuable national security assets, and as such, needs more resources than it currently receives. Ensor's full paper can be read at shorensteincenter.org.