Marc Thiessen and Ilan Berman Join RFE/RL Board of Directors

14 February 2025

Marc Thiessen and Ilan Berman Join RFE/RL Board of Directors

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) has announced that Marc Thiessen and Ilan Berman have joined its Board of Directors.

Thiessen is an author and weekly columnist for The Washington Post who served as a speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. He is a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Berman is Senior Vice President of the American Foreign Policy Council and a veteran national security policy advisor for the Department of Defense, Congress, and U.S. government agencies. He also recently served as head of the team handling the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM) transition on behalf of the Trump administration.

RFE/RL President & CEO Stephen Capus said: “Both Marc and Ilan bring decades of respected foreign policy and defense experience to RFE/RL’s Board of Directors. Marc has been a champion for American values and leadership in his extensive writings. And Ilan is one of the most knowledgeable experts on regional security in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Russia – exactly where we work. I look forward to working with them to ensure that our journalists have the tools they need to bring accurate news and information to our weekly audience of 47 million people in places where censorship is the norm.”

Lisa Curtis, Chair of the RFE/RL Board, said of the new members: “I’m delighted to welcome Marc and Ilan, who deeply understand the valuable role RFE/RL plays in making America safer and more respected around the world. Authoritarian governments are spending a staggering amount of money on propaganda trying to turn people against America, but RFE/RL has one important advantage: people trust us because we deliver the news without censorship. As we mark RFE/RL’s 75^th year, the Board of Directors will continue to make sure that our global audiences, from Russia to Iran, have access to the truth.”

Thiessen and Berman join a distinguished Board of Directors with extensive experience in foreign policy, national security, and journalism. They include Lisa Curtis (Chair); Stephen Capus; Scott Carpenter; Usha Chaudhary; Jackson Diehl; Margaret Hoover; Michael Kempner; Tom Malinowski; and Vance Serchuk.

[Source: RFE/RL press release]

BBC World Service launches Arabic edition of award-winning educational programme ‘Dars’ in the Middle East and North Africa

4 February 2025

BBC World Service launches Arabic edition of award-winning educational programme ‘Dars’ in the Middle East and North Africa

Dars, described by the UN as a “learning lifeline” for children barred from school in Afghanistan, supports learning for children who cannot access education

In line with its commitment to providing vital services to audiences in crisis, the BBC World Service is bringing its educational programme, Dars or ‘lesson’– which was described by the United Nations as a “learning lifeline” for children in Afghanistan – to the Middle East and North Africa through Dars Arabic, a new programme by BBC News Arabic.

At least 30 million children are out of school in the Middle East and North Africa[1], many have been displaced by conflict and crises in Sudan, Yemen and Gaza, which have severely affected access to education. Dars Arabic aims to connect these children facing immense barriers to an education with learning.

Dars Arabic utilises the content and expertise of BBC Education to offer children aged 11-16 lessons in Maths, English, Science and Geography at varying skillsets. Each week, the programme also shares inspirational stories about young people overcoming obstacles, positive news stories on climate, tech, health and more, and bespoke mental health lessons.

These mental health lessons are short, animated films, produced in consultation with expert conflict psychologists to provide young people with the tools needed to understand their emotions and improve their wellbeing. Topics covered include coping with bereavement, adjusting to displacement and change, managing stress, and finding hope during challenging times.

The animated films are available across Dars Arabic broadcasts on BBC News Arabic TV and digital platforms, as well as internationally through broadcasts across the BBC World Service’s 41 language services and in English on the World Service YouTube channel.

Dars first launched in 2023 on BBC News Pashto and Dari, it brings learning to Afghan children who are not able to go to school. Girls aged 11-16 have been restricted from accessing education in Afghanistan since 2021. Dars is hosted by female BBC journalists, many of whom were evacuated from Kabul in 2021 after the Taliban’s return to power.

Dars Arabic provides an offering specific to children across the Arabic-speaking world. The 30 minute episodes launch on BBC News Arabic TV, digital platforms and lifeline radio services in Gaza and Syria from Sunday 9 February.

The programme is broadcast from the BBC Bureau in Cairo by a team of young presenters from across the region and its English lessons are presented by BBC News Arabic correspondents Hanan Razek and Yasmine Abukhadra.

Fiona Crack, Deputy Global Director BBC News, says: “Hearing from our Dari and Pashto speaking audiences about the difference Dars has made to their lives has been very humbling over the last two years. In line with the BBC World Service’s commitment to inform and educate audiences across the globe, we’re thrilled to launch a similar educational opportunity with Dars in Arabic. While it can’t replace going to school, we hope it will help spark curiosity and a love of learning for our youngest audience members and their families.’

BBC News Arabic TV airs new episodes of Dars Arabic weekly on Sundays at 05:30 GMT (07:30 EET) and is repeated at 10:05 GMT (12:05 EET) and throughout the week. Dars Arabic is also available on BBC News Arabic’s digital platforms, including BBC News Arabic YouTube, and through BBC News Arabic’s lifeline radio services in Gaza and Syria, available on medium wave and FM.

[Source: BBC World Service press release]

NHK WORLD-JAPAN programme focus in February

2 February 2025

NHK WORLD-JAPAN programme focus in February

Sharpening Up Japan’s Global Image

The Subculture Chronicles Episode 1 Japonism Feb 22 Sat. 1:10/7:10/13:10/19:10 (UTC) In what ways has the notion of “Japan” come to be recognized in the West, evolve through various interpretations, and leave a lasting impact? This episode traces the history behind the spread of Japan’s image through films, manga,?subcultures, and societal trends. From Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Shohei Imamura to Super Mario and kawaii fashion, we delve into the essence that lies between understanding and misunderstanding.
KABUKI SPECIAL Japanese Swords in Kabuki Feb 23 Sun. 1:10/7:10/13:10/19:10 (UTC) Swords in Kabuki plays reveal the fear and reverence the blades inspire in Japanese people. The program shows the spiritual and cultural impact of these weapons and their stories.
Documentary 360 Blind Spots Threaten Climate Change Action Feb 16 Sun. 0:10/6:10/12:10/18:10 (UTC) Investigations suggest climate change may be worse than estimated, and the beneficial effect of responses may be overstated. This report probes what action plans have overlooked.
CYCLE AROUND JAPAN Saturdays 2:10/9:10/17:10/20:10 (UTC) Come ride with us! Bicycle through the scenery of Japan, stay with locals and discover hidden traditions in a Japan you didn’t know existed.

USAGM networks reached record global audience in FY 2024

17 January 2025

USAGM networks reached record global audience in FY 2024

The U.S. Agency for Global Media’s networks reached a record 427 million weekly measured global audience in Fiscal Year 2024, as documented in the Agency Performance Report released today. The agency’s audience nearly doubled in the last decade, according to nationally representative surveys measuring the reach and impact of the five journalistic entities USAGM oversees: Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and Television Martí), Radio Free Asia (RFA), and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN).

This year’s findings underscore the success of USAGM’s networks in informing, engaging, and connecting audiences, even in the most challenging environments. Despite a recent military coup in Niger, VOA reaches more than 45% of adults in the country each week, in multiple languages. In a difficult year of conflict in the Middle East, MBN continues to provide a high-quality Arabic-language alternative to polarized local media, registering strong growth in Algeria and Jordan. In Latin America, VOA reaches 100 million people across the region in Spanish, by working in partnership with some of the most important local and regional media outlets.

RFE/RL and VOA together reach more than 34% of Ukrainian adults each week, almost 45% of Armenians, and a quarter of Serbians; countering Russian malign influence across Eastern Europe and Eurasia with truthful reporting.

Research with Russian- and Mandarin-speaking global diasporas, and on Martí audiences outside Cuba, found new international audiences for RFE/RL, RFA, VOA, and OCB outside the networks’ traditional target markets. This strategy for reaching audiences is important as China joins a growing list of restrictive markets, including North Korea and Eritrea, where USAGM is unable to measure audiences.

The new report emphasizes USAGM networks’ value to their audiences. USAGM research shows that well over 80% of each network’s audience reports finding their content trustworthy, and more than 65% say the networks’ reporting informs their opinions on important issues.

USAGM’s broadcast entities operate across a range of media platforms, innovating to reach audiences in the ways they prefer to consume news. The Open Technology Fund (OTF), a USAGM grantee, is a key driver of these efforts, providing circumvention technology to tens of millions of users in countries where the internet is censored, like Iran, Russia, China, Burma and more. Despite the challenges of censorship and the constantly shifting social media landscape, USAGM networks recorded 334 million video views each week for digital content in FY 2024.

“This remarkable audience growth shows just how impactful truthful, independent journalism is to so many people around the world,” said USAGM CEO Amanda Bennett. “Amid mounting global challenges to press freedom, our networks’ growing reach — and audiences’ increased trust in the content they provide — proves an enduring demand for the independent, objective reporting from our entities, and the tireless dedication of our journalists that goes into it.”

The USAGM FY 2024 Agency Performance Report, as well as the USAGM Audience and Impact Overview, which summarizes the agency’s key performance highlights for FY 2024, can be found here on usagm.gov.

[Source: USAGM press release]

Inauguration of Donald Trump – special programming on France 24

16 January 2025

Inauguration of Donald Trump – special programming on France 24

On January 20, on the occasion of Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 47^th President of the United States, France 24’s four channels, in French, English, Arabic, and Spanish, will offer global coverage of the event for viewers and internet users worldwide, on air and digital platforms.

With the special envoys and correspondents, France 24 will deliver the ceremony’s highlights and give voice to the public, while reviewing with specialists the major issues that will mark the next four years of Donald Trump’s presidency.

France 24’s special envoys and correspondents, in all its languages, will deliver live reporting at the heart of Washington D.C.: Matthieu Mabin (FR), Elisabeth Allain (FR), Karim Yahiaoui (FR), Fraser Jackson (EN), Doug Herbert (EN), Catherine Norris Trent (EN), Ali Barada (AR), Wassim Alahmar (AR), Amar Al Hameedawi (AR) and Natalia Cabrera (ES).

Special editions on France 24 in English:

From 5pm* to 8pm*, presented by François Picard

From 8pm* to 11:30pm*, presented by Mark Owen

On the digital platforms

> France 24’s digital newsroom will offer exclusive content that highlights the voices of the African and Hispanic communities in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. These reports explore their perspectives on Donald Trump’s return to the White House and can be followed on France 24’s digital platforms.

> France 24 proposes a special episode of Revisited ‘Four years after US Capitol riot, nation remains divided by opposing narratives’, produced by Fanny Allard. The investigation that delves into the violent assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, can be watched on France 24’s website.

> All the reports, interviews, and decryptions with international commentators will also be accessible via france24.com

Paris time*

[Source: France 24 press release]