12 July 2019
John F. Lansing, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), testified in front of the U.S. Congress that the Kremlin’s weaponization of information has led to what he calls “the fight of the 21st century.”
Lansing was one of three government witnesses called before the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies for its United States Efforts to Counter Russian Disinformation and Malign Influence hearing on July 10.
“Make no mistake,” said Lansing, in prepared remarks, “We are living through a global explosion of disinformation, state propaganda, and lies generated by multiple authoritarian regimes around the world. The weaponization of information we are seeing today is real.”
However, this threat does not remain unchallenged. Lansing laid out for the subcommittee how USAGM offers an alternative to Russian disinformation with accurate, independent news and information. Examples included the 24/7 Russian-language digital and television network, Current Time, and fact-checking websites Polygraph.info in English and Factograph.info in Russian–all initiatives led by the USAGM networks of the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL).
Current Time in particular aims to reach Russian speakers globally-not just within the boundaries of Russia-and to inform and engage savvy, younger audiences on social, economic and political issues that state media ignores. This model provides objective news that enables viewers to make informed opinions.
“Russia’s goal is to destroy the very idea of an objective, verifiable set of facts,” explained Lansing to the lawmakers in his oral testimony. “But our impact in Russia is clear.”
In Russia, a nationally-representative 2018 survey found that USAGM content on TV, radio and online was consumed by 7.7 percent of adults each week, or 7.9 million people. Also in 2018, more than half of Current Time’s 520 million video views on social media came from within the Russian Federation.
“Honest and truthful journalism as a catalyst for change represents our best weapon on the information battlefield,” Lansing concluded.
Lansing testified along with two representatives from the U.S. Department of State: Lea Gabrielle, Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center, and Jim Kulikowski, Coordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia. A second panel featured Dr. Alina Polyakova Director, Global Democracy and Emerging Technology Fellow, Center on the United States and Europe Foreign Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and Nina Jankowicz from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Kennan Institute.
[Source: USAGM press release]
20 June 2019
Two U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) networks-Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and Radio Free Asia (RFA)-have been named winners of the prestigious 2019 National Murrow Awards. This is the first time the two networks have received this honor, presented by the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for excellence in electronic journalism.
“I am thrilled that the RTDNA’s Edward R. Murrow Awards have recognized the high-caliber reporting that RFE/RL and RFA produce,” said USAGM CEO John F. Lansing. “My heartfelt congratulations go to the skillful journalists and storytellers who offer our global audiences accurate and professional journalism-the bedrock of what we do at USAGM.”
CEO Lansing added, “Edward R. Murrow, who in the early 1960s led the U.S. Information Agency, a predecessor to USAGM, would be proud of our modern media organization’s wide-reaching impact.”
Daisy Sindelar, Acting President of RFE/RL, and Libby Liu, President of RFA, offered praise for their award-winning networks, which provide compelling, uncensored and locally-oriented news and information to audiences in some of the harshest media environments around the world.
“We are honored to receive this recognition for providing our audiences with unique stories, powerfully told, on the most influential formats in our coverage area,” said Sindelar.
RFE/RL received the National Murrow Awards’ top honor for Multimedia in the Television Network category. Judges reviewed eleven examples of RFE/RL’s impressive domestic news coverage ranging from Armenia to Uzbekistan.
RFA Mandarin’s “The Women Against the State” won in the juried contest’s Excellence in Video category. The piece focuses on the aftermath of China’s “709 crackdown”- a nationwide roundup of lawyers and legal activists that began in July 2015 – and the wives of those still held in custody today.
“RFA Mandarin’s digital team deserves full credit for this prestigious award. Their hard work to spotlight these brave individuals and share their stories speaks to Radio Free Asia’s critical journalistic mission,” said Liu.
Although this marks the first time that RFA has won a National Murrow Award, the network won several Regional Murrow Awards in years past.
(Source: USAGM press release)
18 June 2019
International news platform TRT Arabi is expanding its global distribution with Bosnia’s IPTV network of BH Telecom. TRT Arabi is now available to 200.000 BH Telecom’s subscribers, airing on channel 11 in the news channel category.
BH Telecom is the leading telecom operator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has provided high quality and the most up-to-date services in the field of telecommunications. The uniqueness, tradition, comprehensive service offer, fast business development and social responsibility has made BH Telecom recognizable in the telecommunications market.
TRT Arabi HD, part of the Turkish Broadcasting Corporation (TRT), is an official organization broadcasting locally and internationally, from Turkey to the world, and includes several stations and channels covering all areas and interests.
Furkan Han, TRT World’s Head of Global Digital & Satellite Distribution & Partnership, stated that “TRT Arabi will be our second channel to be launched on BH Telecom after our first, TRT World. Our partnership with BH Telecom is an important step in growing our footprint, not only have we managed to increase the distribution of TRT Arabi but we are happy to have managed to add BH Telecom as one of our partners around the globe. Our distribution is still expanding and soon TRT Arabi will be available worldwide”
Elvedin Kanafija, BH Telecom’s Acting Executive Director of Business Development, stated: “We are pleased to have expanded our cooperation with TRT World and enriched our TV lineup with another quality news content offered by TRT Arabi.”
(Source: TRT World press release)
21 May 2019
CEO John F. Lansing issued the following statement:
The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) and its networks are mandated by law to abide by “the highest professional standards of broadcast journalism” (22 USC 6202). All of its networks, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), support the Agency’s mission of informing, engaging, and connecting people around the world in support of freedom and democracy. Adhering at all times to the journalistic values of accuracy, fairness, and balance is fundamental to that mission.
In May 2018, OCB aired a blatantly anti-Semitic video segment about George Soros that was deeply offensive and wholly inconsistent with USAGM’s professional standards and ethics. Upon learning of the situation in October, I ordered a thorough and multi-faceted review of OCB content, operations, and personnel.
As part of this wholesale review, a panel of independent experts examined an extensive sample of OCB content to identify and address any patterns of unethical, unprofessional, biased, or sub-standard journalism. The results of that panel are presented in this report.
In addition, the Agency internally reviewed OCB’s journalistic standards, editorial processes, and personnel practices. Furthermore, a comprehensive human resources investigation of the incident was completed and the agency has terminated, or is in the process of disciplinary action against, employees and contractors who have been deemed responsible. Collectively, these reviews highlight some urgent needs at OCB – particularly in shoring up journalistic principles and practices.
With reform in mind, I have assembled a joint USAGM-OCB working group to take up and carry out the recommendations from these reviews. To start, the working group will focus on five areas:
- Updating journalistic standards, reinforcing editorial processes, and producing relevant; engaging and balanced journalism consistent with the legislative mandate;
- Clarifying strategy and strengthening leadership;
- Bolstering workforce planning and personnel management;
- Ensuring the right balance of media platforms and effective distribution of content into Cuba; and
- Deepening coordination and collaboration with USAGM and its other networks.
We commit to making this process collaborative and transparent. We will be reaching out to stakeholders to solicit their input and will report out our progress and next steps at quarterly intervals.
These efforts are part of a longer arc of modernization and reform at OCB. In June 2018, Tomás Regalado was appointed as Director of OCB. Tomás brings to this leadership position an impressive journalism career and a history of public service, having served as City Commissioner and two-term Mayor of Miami. Since day one, Tomás has led on an ambitious program of revitalization for OCB, and he will remain a key driver of these continued reform efforts.
In addition, OCB appointed a new Central News Director to lead the newsroom in reinforcing editorial and ethical standards and implementing long-term newsgathering strategies. USAGM has also initiated the search for a Standards and Best Practices Editor, a new position at OCB, to provide oversight of OCB’s editorial and journalistic processes.
In the interim, the Voice of America (VOA), which operates as a separate news operation but is also under the USAGM umbrella, has sent their Editor for News Standards and Best Practices to Miami to conduct mandatory training for all OCB employees involved in content and programming. VOA is required by law to produce fair and unbiased journalism. It has a rigorous set of standards for stories and social media, and has established editing and production practices that enforce these standards. Additional training covering fairness, objectivity, balance and bias in coverage will be required for all OCB employees going forward; the Anti-Defamation League has already provided training for staff.
I know that the path ahead will not be easy, but I – and all of USAGM – stand committed to the challenge. OCB is at all times required to adhere to the highest standards of professional journalism and any deviation from that is unacceptable. Our audience in Cuba has an urgent need for news that is representative of the highest professional standards, and we will not let them down.
(Source: USAGM press release)
19 March 2019
10 Years with Hayao Miyazaki
20 April 23:10/ 5:10 / 10:10 / 17:10
An exclusive 4-part documentary chronicling the creative process of the legendary Japanese filmmaker.
Since 2007, NHK has been granted exclusive access to the studio of legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, documenting his creative process for 10 years.
While his films have won international acclaim for their stunning visuals, this four-part documentary series explores the gritty reality behind the scenes.
Miyazaki is shown as a passionate artisan, a father going head to head with his son, and a steadfast trailblazer.
(Source: NHK press release)
