Whisper of America? Alan L. Heil Jr., a former deputy director of VOA, author of “Voice of America: A History” and editor of Local Voices/Global Perspectives: Challenges Ahead for U.S. International Media, wrote in MountainRunner.us: Under the Obama administration’s proposed FY 13 budget, the potential damage to the nation’s flagship publicly funded overseas network, the Voice of America, would be unprecedented if Congress approves it.