New Burmese industry: modifying shortwave radios to eliminate the shortwave. "Relief supplies provided for Burma’s cyclone victims from China included 2000 radios. They were handed over to the junta authorities. Low-ranking officials were in a difficult situation when they received those cheap radios because they were not sure if they should give them to refugees or hold them back, so they asked their superiors what to do. The information about the radios pushed high-ranking officials into a tight corner. They seemed to be worried about affecting the relationship with China if they did not give the radios out. On the other hand, if they distributed the radios, the 2000 people who received them would be able to listen to foreign broadcasting services such as BBC, VOA, DVB and RFA, which they did not want their citizens to be able to access. Finally, an order came through that radios should be distributed to cyclone victims only after they had been adapted so that they could not be used to listen to foreign broadcasting services. As a consequence, engineers and officials at the Communication Department faced a heavy workload. They had to remove the short wave tuning system used by foreign broadcasting services to air their programmes from each radio. Engineers working for the Communication Department in Rangoon Division spent a lot of time on these radios worth US$ 5 each." Democratic Voice of Burma, 4 July 2008. Posted: 05 Jul 2008 Permalink

Air conditioning as public diplomacy. "In a recent study by Terror Free Tomorrow and the New America Foundation, more than half of Pakistanis said the United States was to blame for violence inside the country today, as compared to only 8 percent blaming al Qaeda. This is a perception gap of enormous proportions, and a similarly epic public-diplomacy failure. [Pakistani Ambassador to Washington Husain] Haqqani's perceptive words regarding this public-diplomacy failure are worth recounting. He recounted youthful years studying inside an air-conditioned American library - this was the Cold War era - at a time when even well-to-do Pakistani families had few similarly attractive options (and exceedingly rare air conditioning). Where are public-diplomacy efforts today? The sorry truth is that they have failed in Pakistan just as they have in most Muslim-majority countries." Editorial, Washington Post, 2 July 2008. See previous post about same subject.
     "H.R. 2553 would authorize the Department of State to establish and maintain libraries and resource centers at or connected with U.S. diplomatic missions. It would require the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy to report to the Congress on the functions and effectiveness of the libraries and resource centers. The department also would be required to show American films to promote American culture, society, history, and values." Congressional Budget office, 2 July 2008 (pdf). Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Former RFE official criticizes former RFE target country. "An even harsher opinion was expressed by Roman Kupchinsky, a security expert and former official of Radio Free Europe, who said that Hungarian gas distribution companies are in a suspicious relationship with organized crime and Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, and have financed political projects which include anti-American propaganda." Politics.hu, 4 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Remembering deceased VOA/IBB employees. "C. Evans Hays, 62, a broadcast journalist and senior news editor with the Voice of America who retired in 2003, died June 20 at Baptist Hospital of Miami of a cerebral hemorrhage. Mr. Hays worked for Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty in Munich before joining VOA in the late 1980s. He headed VOA's Bonn, Germany, bureau for several years and covered stories including German reunification and the Balkans wars." Washington Post, 1 July 2008.
     "Marion Rhodes Hales, 65, of Fairfax, Va., died Thursday, June 19, 2008, at Inova Fairfax Hospital. ... Marion first worked with ITT Telecommunications Corporation and since 1981 has worked as an electrical engineer with Voice of America." Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus, 22 June 2008.
     The Eugene K. Harr Theatre at the new arts center on Mountain View Street, Petersburg, West Virginia, is so named "because of his extraordinary gift to the Grant County Library through his estate. ... From [1988] until his retirement in 1999, he was a budget officer for the U.S. Information Agency, now known as International Broadcasting Bureau in Washington, D.C." Grant County Press, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

"Family oriented alternative to YouTube" includes content from Press TV. "While cable and dish services are swamped with religious channels, Muslims in the United States have unequal opportunities for access. MuslimChannels addresses this challenge with a unique approach, by offering the best of both worlds: Multiple live 24 x 7 broadcasts of religious, alternative news, and educational programming, as well as user video uploads, video sharing and formation of online communities." Press release, 3 July 2008 of www.MuslimChannels.tv "For Buddhists, who spend their day in pointless irrational rituals, life is always dark and stagnant." "The Error of Buddhism" at www.MuslimChannels.tv. -- In international broadcasting, Buddhism also has Christian detractors: "Unfortunately, Cambodia is a nation gripped by Buddhist traditions, woven into the fabric of people's lives for centuries." Far East Broadcasting Company, 7 February 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

BBC faulted for its headlining of the Jerusalem bulldozer terrorist attack. "Even though a BBC reporter witnessed the recent bulldozer attack perpetrated by a Palestinian terrorist upon the citizens of Jerusalem, it's website chose to lead with 'Israel Bulldozer Driver Shot Dead'. ... Not to be outdone by its sister in the media, BBC World television coverage lead with the headline: 'Breaking News: Israel Attack: Jerusalem bulldozer driver shot dead by security'." digitaljournal.com, 3 July 2008. "While BBC Online currently covers the story 'Bulldozer rampage hits Jerusalem,' this was not the original headline. Offering a glimpse into the BBC's warped journalism, the initial headline read 'Israel bulldozer driver shot dead'." HonestReporting, 2 July 2008. See also BBC News, 2 July 2008. "The BBC has said it was wrong for its News at 10 programme to show the killing of a man who drove a bulldozer into a bus and several cars in Israel." BBC News, 4 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

In anticipation of BBC Persian television, Iranian commentator suggests the elimination of censorship. "It has been reported that the Persian programme of the BBC television network will start its work in the near future. With the start of the activities of that network, another Persian language channel will be added to many networks that are already operating from abroad. ... BBC Radio is one of those networks, which seems to have the largest audience from that point of view. It is probable that when the new [BBC] television channel starts to broadcast, its influence would be even greater than that of the BBC Radio. The German Voice [Deutsche Welle], the French Radio and ... [Ellipses as published] also belong to the same category, but none of them has the same level of influence as the BBC has. ... The increase in the number of Persian language media broadcasting from abroad can be regarded as an opportunity for our country only if, on the one hand, our national media (including both the radio and television) is able to deal with the current affairs of the country without censorship, and if they can provide a platform for different viewpoints and can provide news and analysis in such a way that it would satisfy the needs of the society; and, on the other hand, alongside the national media, there are other permitted [presumably private] media and press that can publish and broadcast domestic and foreign reports without censorship." Azar Mansuri, Iranian newspaper E'temad website, via redOrbit, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

BBC co-production looks at history of Biejing. "The BBC will this month begin airing 'Beijing: Biography of an Imperial Capital,' the second factual skein it has co-produced with a Chinese broadcaster. ... It was made over an 18 month period as a co-venture between Beijing Television and Singapore's The Right Angle. It runs as a three-parter for the BBC and in 12 episodes for Beijing TV. ... Like most other foreign broadcasters, the BBC does not have 'landing rights' in China. Its World News net can only be viewed in China's top hotels and foreigner compounds and its website is blocked by country's Internet regulators, often referred to as 'the Great Firewall of China.'" Variety, 3 July 2008. So, unless I'm missing something, actually not a "Chinese broadcaster" but a Singaporean production company. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Instead of "bigger brains," CNN will have to settle for bigger audiences and bigger revenues. "BBC World News America is kicking the tires on its own election 2008 bus... The Washington, D.C.-based newscast will deploy its bus in the weeks between the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in late August and early September, respectively, and the election in November. ... The bus (no, it will not be a London double-decker) 'offers an opportunity to cover issues; to get the mood of America and the sense of how Americans feel about their place in the world,' said Rome Hartman, executive producer of BBC World News America. Correspondents will contribute regular bus blogs, while also servicing the BBC World Service radio network. Hartman conceded that the BBC World News bus may not have the high-tech gadgetry of, say, the CNN Election Express, a multimillion-dollar HD mobile newsroom. 'It won’t have the bells and whistles,' he added, 'but we’ll make up for it with bigger brains.'" Broadcasting & Cable, 3 July 2008. See also an American undergraduate's translation of Al-Jazeera Arabic coverage of the U.S. election. St, Louis Post-Dispatch The Platform blog, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Chronicling the accelerating decline of shortwave broadcasting. "Heidi Lucas of [Deutsche Welle] Customer Service said, 'DW`s objecive is to do without shortwave, wherever possible, some day. But as far as I know, there are not yet plans to cease the German broadcasts for Australia. The future belongs to FM (via partner stations), satellite and above all to audio and video via the internet. Please do not forget: As long as DW has shortwave transmissions, we need reception reports'" Don Rhodes, BDXC-UK Communication, via DX Listening Digest, 1 July 2008.
     Some confusion whether Radio Singapore International will close down at the end of June or the end of July, but monitoring seems to indicate end of July. Also uncertain whether Sinagpore's domestic broadcasts will continue to be relayed via shortwave. Victor Goonetilleke and Rich McVicar, DXplorer, via, and Walt Salmaniw, Ron Howard, and Glenn Hauser, DX Listening Digest, 3 July 2008.
     Radio Taiwan International has dropped some of it shortwave relays via WYFR, Okeechobee, Florida. Jon Pukila, Dan Say, Kai Ludwig, and Glenn Hauser, reporting to DX Listening Digest, 3 July 2008. Consult DX Listening Digest for expert monitoring of the stations that are still transmitting on shortwave, and evidence of those who are not. International broadcasters do not always adequately state their intentions re shortwave. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Consolidation of French international broadcasting brings transition to Radio France Internationale. "The head of a new, streamlined French media group, Alain de Pouzilhac, took over as CEO of Radio France Internationale on Tuesday, marking one of the first steps in a controversial overhaul of public broadcasting in France. Pouzilhac is already the head of Audiovisuel exterieur de la France (AEF), a group set up to bring together France’s international media stations: France24, RFI and France’s share of the international French-speaking channel TV5." Radio Netherlands Media Network, 2 July 2008, citing RFI, 30 June 2008.
     "From the outside, it looks like France 24 has, in effect, taken over Radio France Internationale, the international broadcasting radio service. France 24 is barely 18 months old and is a combined TV and Internet operation running in 3 languages. RFI has been around a lot longer, but is definitely more of a traditional radio network." Jonathan Marks, Critical Distance Weblog, 2 July 2008.
     "Je voudrais continuer a developper RFI et pas uniquement dans des grands bassins d'audience [presumably Africa] mais sur des territoires dans lesquels nous devrons etre en conquete. Des territoires comme en Iran, au Proche et Moyen-Orient, en Europe de l'Est ou en Asie." RFI, 2 July 2008 (with link to 9-minute audio interview).
     Antoine Schwarz, outgoing president-directeur general of RFI, cites among his accomplishments the establish of an FM rebroadcasting network slightly larger than that of BBC World Service. RFI press release, 4 July 2008.
     Christine Ockrent becomes "numero 2" at RFI. RFI press release, 3 July 2008. And Genevieve Goetzinger the directrice deleguee (deputy director). RFI press release, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

International radio listeners are very well informed, even in captivity. French president Nicolas Sarkozy "said he was flabbergasted when [French-Colombian politician Ingrid] Betancourt called him from the tarmac as soon as her military helicopter had landed from the jungle, asking him to thank [his wife Carla] Bruni. The president was surprised that she knew all the details of their relationship and events. 'I was stupefied that she had followed all that very precisely,' he said. Betancourt had listened to Radio France International every day towards the end of her captivity." The Guardian, 4 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Russia calling America: be more humble. America calling Russia: slow down for pedestrians. Interview with Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of Russia Today TV: MN: "Do you think there are some things that Russia could teach America? MS: It seems that the United States should try to humble itself a bit. After all, it has been a very long time since Russia, for example, has lectured another country. MN: Is there anything that America could teach Russia? MS: Deriving from its culture of rules, America could teach Russia a better respect for the law. Even in small things, like not offering a bribe to a police officer, for example, or that motorists must slow down for pedestrians. MN: Okay, now I must ask you a question that everyone probably asks you. MS: If I take my orders from the Kremlin? MN: Yes [laughter]. MS: I'm tired of answering that, really. If I do get a call from the Kremlin, it might be from somebody who works in the Kremlin press pool inviting me to go out for a beer or something." Moscow News, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

In the new world information order, state control would be a good thing. "Top-level experts opened Wednesday the Seventh Conference of [the Non Aligned Movement] Information Ministers with a series of proposals to be analyzed today by heads of delegations. The aim is to adopt concrete programs, as of experiences of the Movement and some members, to face the dominion of Northern countries and large companies in communication. This is part of a process to develop freedom of the press that in the past was identified with the right of media owners to decide editorial guidelines. That principle implied any state attempt to control was a violation of the right to inform. Even within extensive positions of NAM, with 117 members throughout the world, there is an appreciable advance in criteria for a new world information order, a concept limited to theory few years ago. An initiative for the ministers' analysis is the Latin American multi-state Telesur channel, an example most of countries attending the meeting consider can be extended throughout the continent." Prensa Latina, 3 July 2008. Venezuela's communication and information minister Andres Izarra: "We want a new international information order. Besides the consolidation and expansion of Telesur network, Venezuela is proposing to create a radio of the South and a network of content production that serves as an information databank for all our countries in order to achieve the democratization of information." El Universal (Caracas), 3 July 2008. "Delegates rejected the spreading of discriminatory and distorted reports about the nations of the South and they welcomed an initiative to reactivate broadcasting organizations of the Non Aligned Movement." Cuban News Agency, 3 July 2008. At NAM, Brazilian information vice minister discusses cooperation with Telesur. Telesur, 3 July 2008. Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Our virtual country is so much easier to explain than the real one. "The US State Department has begun exploring Second Life as a means to introduce people to American culture. Last year, it organized an eight-hour jazz concert that stretched across time zones. Next year, officials may work with Ohio University to coordinate tours of a virtual art exhibit led by the artist’s avatar. Already, several other countries, including Sweden and Estonia, have built cultural embassies in the online world." Christian Science Monitor, 2 July 2008. And, then, there is U.S. international broadcasting, portraying "first life" in the United States, and, if it is done correctly, avoiding anything that is "virtual." Posted: 04 Jul 2008 Permalink

Did Iranian foreign minister use VOA to make a point? Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki "expressed frustration that while Iran granted over 150 visas to U.S. journalists last year, Iranian journalists in the U.S. face restrictions. The U.S. Mission to the UN subsequently distinguished between independent journalists and those for state-run media. Iran's spokesman Mansour Sadeghi, at Wednesday['s] press conference, pointedly called on a reporter from Voice of America, perhaps for just this reason." Inner City Press, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Despite new book, we'll probably just shout more loudly. Jim Murphy, UK Minister for Europe, author of "new book, Engagement: Public Diplomacy in a Globalized World, stresses that "public diplomacy shouldn't be a matter of 'just shouting your message more loudly,' but ... that it's perhaps more important to change our perception of others than their perception of us. ... And Murphy stressed the need to gain a solid grasp of the history and sensitivities an issue has for another country, ultimately seeking to understand how the world looks from the other side. Probably we shouldn't need to be reminded of such basics... " David Shorr, Democracy Arsenal, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Just when we thought the Aljazeera in Burlington story was over... "The Defenders Council of Vermont, a small group that led the fight against Burlington Telecom's continuing to air the 24-hour news channel Al-Jazeera English, will mount a petition drive to place a referendum question on the Burlington ballot in the November general election. ... 'Should Burlington Telecom enter into a contract with Al-Jazeera English, provided reasonable and agreeable terms can be reached by Burlington Telecom management?'" Burlington Free Press, 3 July 2008. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

DRM digital shortwave looks for a niche. Summary of speech to National Association of Shortwave Broadcasters by former Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium technical committee chairman Don Messer: "For shortwave — local community services, Alaska-type regional services, and long-range DRM services — the question is, 'are there markets — perhaps niche markets — in the U.S. for this kind of broadcasting?' The kinds of things I am talking about within the U.S. will require at least 1 to 2 to 3 years of testing. 'By that time, if there aren’t consumer receivers ready, forget you heard this speech.' Meanwhile, Messer pointed out that there are currently shortwave DRM transmissions to the United States from Canada, Bonaire, French Guiana and other sites. And 'nobody can prevent some Mexican entrepreneur from broadcasting out of Chihuahua or something like that as long as it’s coordinated with the HFCC.'" Jeff White, Radio World, 2 July 2008. See also NASB website. Andy Sennitt tells me no DRM transmissions are currently coming from Bonaire, although the capability remains.
     In Alaska, Digital Aurora Radio Technologies "DoD-funded [DRM] test would use existing 100 kW Continental transmitters designed for an Over-the-Horizon radar transmitting system formerly used in Cold War broadcasting and a digital signal generator operating from the Delta Junction area, some 130 miles southeast of Fairbanks. Other than that, the DoD connection is unclear.One transmitter producing output average power of 20 kW, in concert with an antenna that sends most of its radiated power into Alaska, should be able to be received throughout the state, the company believes. However, Digital Aurora needs to determine if such reception can be accomplished during times of high and low solar activity.' Radio World, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Via Al-Jazeera English, China gets an earful from Africans. "Last Wednesday's episode of The Riz Khan Show on Al Jazeera English dealt with Chinese industries in Africa. ... According to Khan's guests and several callers, Chinese nationals are 'enslaving' Nigerians, forging corrupt partnerships with African party leaders, using up the world's natural resources like there's no tomorrow, and possibly forming an 'upgraded replay of colonialism' in Africa. On the flip side of things, one caller demands to know why China is being demonized when Western countries have been doing similar things in Africa for years." Adrienne Wong, Shanghaiist, 3 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Zimbabwean commentators criticize Western broadcasters. Just last Sunday, the Voice of America State radio reported in one breath that South Africa had 'deported' hundreds of Zimbabwean immigrants but in the next breath the news bulletin said those affected had fled violent attacks on them to seek shelter and had said 'they wanted to return home.' While the contradiction should have been so obvious to the news writer, it appears that the over-riding desire to cause antagonism between the South African and Zimbabwean governments over the 'deportations' blinded that medium to the conflicting statements in the bulletin." Stephen Mpofu, The Herald (Harare), 3 July 2008.
     "Simple advice to the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera (English), etc: Do not put your media houses into disrepute by inviting shallow analysts and also learn to debate real issues: sanctions (Zidera 2002), IMF/WB policies, Lancaster House Constitution and the reneging of the British government on its land compensation obligations, interference in other countries’ affairs, colonial legacy, North/South trade and economic relations and imbalances, etc. These are some of the pertinent questions that need to be addressed on any Zimbabwean debate, rather than all these cosmetic issues you discuss, that are meant to win you viewership." Philip Murombedzi, The Zimbabwe Guardian, 3 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

A timely spotlight on SW Radio Africa. "It's a constant battle, but exiled Zimbabweans are fighting to ensure SW Radio Africa's programmes reach their compatriots back in Africa. Station manager Gerry Jackson started the station in Harare in 2000, but it was quickly shut down by the government. Since then she and her team have struggled on in the UK against attempts to block the transmission." Sky News, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Nigerians can now watch Fox News. "The Nigerian DTH platform HiTS has added more capacity on the Eutelsat W4 slot at 36 degrees East. Zee Cinema UK and Fox News are among the new channels for the platform, which has secured more than 100,000 subscribers within 11 months of its launch. HiTS offers a mix of international and homegrown channels and is available booth on DTH and on a MMDS terrestrial network (wireless cable). ... International content includes Eurosport, News, E! Entertainment, CNBC Africa, BBC World News... ." Broadband TV News, Broadband TV News, 3 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

The RFE Romanian Service will become the RFE Moldovan/Transdniestrian Service. "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is putting an end to its broadcast in Romanian language starting August 1 - the very same day when BBC Romania also goes off air, as announced a week ago - according to a letter sent by RFE/RL head Jeff Gedmin to his colleagues on Wednesday. But as opposite to BBC Romania, RFE/RL would continue to broadcast for the Republic of Moldova and the Transdniester region." HotNews.ro, 2 July 2008. "Since Romania's acces[s]ion to the EU last year, media competition has increased dramatically and Romanians now have access to more than 70 daily newspapers, 300 private FM radio stations, cable TV and the Internet." RFE/RL press release, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

"Reporting Among Gangsters." The president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty discusses his station's difficulties reporting from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kazakhstan. "The 'stans' of Central Asia, a group of largely poor countries, also have an image problem: Their names sound remote to Western ears, and their issues will never spark the interest or controversy of Iran or Tibet. Without the celebrity of a Dalai Lama, Westerners are simply unlikely to pay attention." Jeffrey Gedmin, Washington Post, 2 July 2008. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Beleaguered Alhurra is getting scoops. "Iraqi officials have said little about a Hezbollah role in this country. However, President Jalal Talabani told U.S.-funded Alhurra television this week that 'there have been several occasions' when Hezbollah members or those who 'claim to belong to Hezbollah' have been detained in Iraq. He gave no further details." AP, 1 July 2008. "The Maysan [province of Iraq] police spokesman, speaking on al-Hurra television, said arrest warrants had been issued for the three members of the Maysan provincial council. He did not say why the warrants were issued." Reuters, 2 July 2008. The two stories hint that Alhurra reporters might want to work on their follow-up questioning. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

So who can domestically disseminate, and who can't? "No one can tell the story of America’s global commitment to sustainable development and its contributions to our security better than the people who do the work every day. Yet their ability to do so is restricted by Section 501 of the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (the Smith-Mundt Act), which functionally restricts the ability of USAID to use public dollars to tell its story inside the United States. This legislation should be amended or repealed so that USAID, just like the Department of Defense, can tell the American people about the value of its work and continue to build public support for it." Center for American Progress, 1 July 2008. "There's one problem: USAID is not covered by Smith-Mundt, nor is the Department of Defense. USAID's failure in public diplomacy that engages a global audience, including Americans, is not a result of a Smith-Mundt prophylactic. The truth is USAID operates independently [of] America's public diplomacy efforts." Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner, 1 July 2008. Well, there is the USAID Office for Public Diplomacy for Middle Eastern & MEPI Affairs. Is this U.S. public diplomacy effort exempt from Smith-Mundt? In any case, the USAID website is effusively telling its story, and nothing at that site seem seems to discourage U.S. visitors. See, in particular, the Telling Our Story and FrontLines pages. Posted: 03 Jul 2008 Permalink

Glassman: public diplomacy is about influencing, and international broadcasting is part of public diplomacy. James K Glassman, under secretary of state for public diplomacy, in his "first speech," to the Council on Foreign Relations: "Public diplomacy is diplomacy that's aimed at publics, as opposed to officials. Public diplomacy, like official diplomacy and like war, when war becomes necessary, has as its mission the achievement of the national interest. Public diplomacy performs this mission by understanding, informing, engaging, and influencing foreign publics. Ultimately it is that last word, influencing, that counts the most. ... Before getting to the war of ideas, let me talk briefly about the more traditional tools of public diplomacy. Until a few weeks ago, I chaired ... the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which supervises taxpayer-funded U.S. international broadcasting." CFR, 30 June 2008. However, the audience for international broadcasting tunes in to be informed, not influenced. It is because of this theoretical disconnect that U.S. international broadcasting will probably remain number one in expenditures, but number two in audience size. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

To know us is to love us? Comments on U.S. public diplomacy. "Talking the talk won't mean much if the United States isn't walking the walk. In this world of ubiquitous media, all American actions are public diplomacy -- and they speak much more loudly than the words generated by the public diplomacy shop." Star-Ledger (New Jersey), 1 July 2008. "The State Department should attempt to do better at 'public diplomacy.' The more people in some other countries know about America, after all, the less likely they are to want to destroy us." Wheeling News-Register, 1 July 2008. Pakistani Ambassador to United States Husain Haqqani: "Every time a significant, respectable Pakistani is humiliated at an American airport, despite having a valid visa, the story doesn't even make it into your papers, but it's the biggest story of the day in Pakistan." Daily Times (Lahore), 2 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday... WorldSpace Satellite Radio "has agreed with each of the four holders of the Company's amended and restated secured notes (the Bridge Loan Notes) and second amended and restated convertible notes (the Convertible Notes) to defer until July 9, 2008 the Company's obligation to pay $19.86 million in principal amount of the Bridge Loan Notes including accrued but unpaid interest due on the Bridge Loan Notes and Convertible Notes that was scheduled to be paid on June 30, 2008." WorldSpace press release, 1 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Alabama mayor will not talk to Al-Jazeera. "Reporters from Al Jazeera English will be in Birmingham [Alabama] Tuesday, for a story about Mayor Larry Langford's plan for a four-day work week for city employees." Birmingham News, 30 June 2008. "Birmingham Mayor Larry Langford today refused to interview with reporters from Al Jazeera English because he opposed the network's coverage of terrorist activities and its graphic display of an American being executed." Birmingham News, 1 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

BBC World News bumped from Amsterdam analog channels (updated). On the UPC cable systems in the Netherlands, Discovery’s Animal Planet is added as an analog channel. To make room: "In Amsterdam, it is remarkably BBC World News that will disappear." Broadband TV New, 15 June 2008. Update: "Whilst it makes a lot of sense to migrate these kinds of channels behind a set-top box at some point in the future - the penetration of set-top boxes in the Netherlands is way too low at the moment. It is clearly much too early to be messing with the diversity of programmes on offer. As things stand now, most of the hotels in Amsterdam as well as 80% of the population will lose BBC News from cable as from July 1st." Jonathan Marks, Critical Distance weblog, 30 June 2008. "UPC Nederland has stopped analogue distribution of TV5 Monde in large parts of its networks to make room for Animal Planet. The channel remains available in Amsterdam, where the cabler has ousted BBC World News... It is the only French language broadcaster available on most Dutch cable nets." Broadband TV News, 1 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

World Service program[me] notes. "BBC journalists who managed to get into Burma [after Cyclone Nargis] either had to enter secretly, or pretend to be tourists and report undercover. They shared their experiences of reporting in such difficult conditions for the BBC World Service's Assignment programme." BBC News, July 2008. On 3 July, a day of special reports about illegal fishing. BBC World Service, 1 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Canadian psyop and its "uncommitted target audience" in Afghanistan. Sgt. Donald Clark, serving with Canadian forces in Afghanistan, is "second in command of a tactical information operations team, also called a psyops or psychological operations team. Clark and colleague Cpl. David Carr, also from Thunder Bay, spend most of their time outside the air field base as their job involves talking to 'the uncommitted target audience' -- Afghans -- in an effort to gain their support. 'We do this primarily by ensuring that people are informed of the facts, understand the consequences of actions and are aware of our intent,' Clark wrote. 'We also monitor Taliban information operations and dispel Taliban rumours that attempt to instill fear in the local populace -- a method the Taliban likes to use to control the largely uneducated villagers.' In fighting the information war, Clark‘s team uses leaflets, newspapers, radio and loudspeakers, but relies mainly on old-fashioned face-to-face talking." Chronicle Journal (Thunder Bay, Ontario), 2 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Memories of Ezra Pound, international broadcaster. "Ezra Pound, the genius poet and cultural iconocast who shocked and disturbed Americans with his pro-Fascist broadcasts during World War II, paid a very private visit to Rutherford 50 years ago, staying at the 9 Ridge Road residence of his life-long friend, William Carlos Williams. ... No American could have been more disturbed by Pound’s broadcast rantings, against everyone from Franklin Roosevelt to the Jews, than Florence 'Floss' Williams, who reported being 'happy and relieved' when the Pounds left her home that hot June day in 1958. Seventeen years earlier, Flossie had raced home on a July morning to tell her husband that a Rutherford bank employee had listened to one of Pound’s broadcasts – via shortwave radio connection to Radio Rome. Between his innocuous musings and superlatives for the dictator, Benito Mussolini, Pound interjected, 'As my friend Doc Williams of New Jersey would say...' Floss feared for her husband. And Williams just grew more incensed with his old college chum." South Bergenite (New Jersey), 2 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

German World War II broadcasts to the Middle East. Forthcoming book by Prof. Jeffrey Herf of the University of Maryland details "Germany's propaganda outreach to the Arab world, which was designed by the German Foreign Office and broadcast over short-wave radio. 'When the Nazis broadcast propaganda in Arabic, Persian and Turkish to the Middle East, they were taking a narrative that they had developed - rooted in a paranoid fantasy of an international Jewish conspiracy - and presenting it in a different context,' Herf said. The radio broadcasts, primarily in Arabic, sought to create a connection between devout Muslims and the secular political message of Nazi Germany, and quickly outnumbered the Nazis' broadcasts to Europe and the United States, he said." Jerusalem Post, 1 July 2008. See also Prof. Herf web page. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Al-Jazeera legal troubles in Morocco. Morocco should drop charges against Al-Jazeera’s Rabat bureau chief Hassan Rachidi, says Human Rights Watch, 1 July 2008. See also Michael van der Galien, PoliGazette, 1 July 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Not universally celebrated: Press TV is one year old. Mohammad Sarafraz, vice president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) World Service, on the first anniversary of Press TV: "Press TV has tried to open a new window for the English-speaking viewers, particularly American and European audiences and to deliver the news from a new perspective, and to some extent, it has been successful. ...
For example, Hezbollah is a very influential Lebanese group. According to various polls, the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah is also one of the most popular figures in the Middle East. Despite all this, media outlets did not televise his speeches or censored most of it. However, Press TV has conducted live broadcasts of all his speeches along with simultaneous translation and given a voice to Hezbollah." Press TV, 2 July 2008. "It is difficult to measure the number of viewers of a television network within a year's time ... however, the website of Press TV has been visited by millions of people over the past year." Vision of the Islamic Republic of Iran Network 1, via BBC Monitoring, via redOrbit, 1 July 2008. "Looks like my analysis on Press TV was pretty good." Max Keiser, Huffington Post, 1 July 2008. See previous post about Press TV. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Memories of a pirate station. "Radio North Sea International was bigger, better and flashier than any other pirate. Aboard a Norwegian coaster converted into the radio ship Mebo II in a Hamburg shipyard, it came on the air on January 23 1970.
Painted in brilliant psychedelic colours and topped by a 50 metre high radio mast, it was, for me, a fascinating enigma from the start. Its conventional medium wave transmitter was more powerful than any other pirate radio ship, and most European national radio stations, and it also, surprisingly, broadcast on two short wave bands and on VHF. It was difficult to discern any commercial rationale behind the operation." Paul Harris, allmediaSCOTLAND.com, 1 July 2008. I remember hearing its shortwave signal on this side of the Atlantic. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

Falun Gong related station off of Eutelsat. "New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV)'s broadcasts into Asia have been disrupted since June 16, 2008, with some fearing that it is an extension of the Chinese Communist Party's media censorship. ... The satellite provider, EutelSat, told the New York-headquartered station that their W5 satellite unexpectedly stopped because of a 'technical anomaly,' and that they did not know when it could be repaired." The Epoch Times, 30 June 2008. Posted: 02 Jul 2008 Permalink

The hostage who listened to BBC World Service. Documentary film-maker Sean Langan, held captive on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border by a group allied to the Taliban for three months, "was not completely without news of the outside world. Among the 'presents' brought by Mr C [one of his captors] was a radio on which he listened to the BBC World Service. Unaware of the decision to impose a news blackout over his capture, he listened in vain for any reference to his disappearance, increasingly feeling he was forgotten." The Guardian, 28 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Jazz ambassadors, not always on message. Which was the message. "A photography exhibition of those concert tours, titled 'Jam Session: America’s Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World,' is on display at the Meridian International Center in Washington through July 13 and then moves to the Community Council for the Arts in Kinston, N.C. ... The jazzmen’s independence made some officials nervous. But the shrewder diplomats knew that on balance it helped the cause. The idea was to demonstrate the superiority of the United States over the Soviet Union, freedom over Communism, and here was evidence that an American — even a black man — could criticize his government and not be punished." New York Times, 29 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

The BBG and ProPublica engage in a colloquy. Joaquin Blaya, membeer of Broadcasting Board of Governors, to ProPublica: "ProPublica’s 'investigative report' on Alhurra television is so lacking in depth and accuracy that it can only be defined as sensationalism. It is filled with inaccuracies and innuendo that draw the reader to erroneous conclusions." ProPublica responds with more questions. ProPublica, 30 June 2008. See previous post about same subject.
     "ProPublica.org aims to make up some of the ground lost to journalism by the current crisis of advertising revenues bleeding to the internet. In particular, it seeks to preserve the skills and value of investigative reporting - one of the first casualties of cuts by dint of its relative costliness. It burst on to the US media scene last week with its first major investigation - an expose of how the US-backed Arabic language TV network Alhurra is counter-productive to US interests, poorly watched and a waste of $500m of public money. The investigation was produced as a documentary and aired on the prestigious TV magazine 60 Minutes, causing ripples through Congress and shaking up the Bush administration-backed network." The Guardian, 30 June 2008.
     ProPublica's investigation of Alhurra does have weaknesses: 1) The small number of transgressions that it found during a lengthy monitoring period are not enough to brand Alhurra as biased. 2) The Alhurra audience sizes are not bad for a non-Arab competitor; using the "station you wtach most often" as the only measure is particularly misleading. 3) ProPublica cannot prove that payments to contributors by Alhurra constitute government influence; there are similar public-funded but independent broadcasting corporations in Europe and elsewhere who pay contributors but are not dismissed as government propaganda.
     "A significant portion of the funds being spent on the Iraq war should be redirected to help the satellite network al-Hurra disseminate ideas and information to Muslim hearts and minds in nations where there is so much hostility to U.S. foreign policy." Barry Dwork, letter to Washington Post, 30 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Aljazeera will stay on Burlington cable (updated again). "A group that wants the city of Burlington to drop Al-Jazeera English from the local cable TV system has been dealt a setback. Two advisory committees are recommending that the Middle Eastern news channel should stay." WCAX-TV (Burlington), 25 June 2008. See also letters to the Burlington Free Press, 24 June 2008. "The oversight committees said that while its members are 'unequivocally opposed to hateful and intolerant speech,' much of the testimony opposed to Al-Jazeera English at two public forums seemed to have 'been based on secondary sources.'" Burlington Free Press, 26 June 2008. "'We're overjoyed,' Al-Jazeera English Washington Bureau Chief Will Stebbins said Thursday after learning of the recommendation. 'We see this as an "Inherit the Wind," with Clarence Darrow winning this time.'" Burlington Free Press, 27 June 2008. "Given the historical track record of Al-Jazeera's unsavory past, the burden of proof falls not on those who oppose it, but on the network itself and the managers of Burlington Telecom to ensure that the discrepancy between the incendiary images and messages that it has aired and the new dressed-up version that is currently being promoted does not resurface on our publicly owned communication outlet." Jamie Zeppernick, executive director of the Defenders Council of Vermont, Burlington Free Press, 27 June 2008. "The manner is which the telecom handled the brouhaha is an example of how smaller providers often can have an edge when it comes to understanding the needs and wants of local subscribers." Jim O'Neill, FierceTelecom, 27 June 2008. Update: "Given the absence of hard evidence of Al-Jazeera's promoting terrorism or engaging in hate speech, the objections to the network seem based largely on an image of the network driven by the opponents' ideology. Although it receives no tax dollars, Burlington Telecom is a city department. A municipal entity shutting off access to a news source for ideological reasons comes uncomfortably close to government censorship." Editorial, Burlington Free Press, 29 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Glassman on "How to Win the War of Ideas" (updated). The new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy writes: "The task is not to persuade potential recruits to become like Americans or Europeans, but to divert them from becoming terrorists. We do that by helping to build networks (virtual and physical) and countermovements – not just political but cultural, social, athletic and more: mothers against violence, video gamers, soccer enthusiasts, young entrepreneurs, Islamic democrats. ... Unlike the containment policy of the Cold War, today's diversion policy may not primarily be the responsibility of government. My own job, as the interagency leader for the war of ideas, is to mobilize every possible American asset – public and private, human and technological – in the effort." James K. Glassman, Wall Street Journal, 24 June 2008. Does U.S. involvement in a Muslim anti-terrorist movement help or hinder the cause? See previous posts on 12 January 2008, 20 June 2007, and 20 May 2007. And maybe we are "losing" the "war of ideas" because we think of it as "war". Update: "I agree wholeheartedly because our goal isn't to turn Muslim extremists into American wannabes, but to convince them that violence is a dead end." Guy W. farmer, Nevada Appeal, 29 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Public diplomacy pencil pushers. U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy: "Public-affairs officers view themselves, and are viewed by others, more as managers and administrators than as expert communicators. [They] are being asked to spend the overwhelming majority of their time on administration and management, not outreach." ... The report says public-diplomacy training at the State Department 'has never been stronger,' but adds that it is 'not yet strong enough,' with 'a number of conspicuous, and serious, blind spots.'" Washington Times, 30 June 2008. See also Advisory Commission website with link to the full report. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Award-winning TV ad will almost convince you to give up your reserved parking spot. "The TV advertising campaign conducted by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) won a prestigious award from the European Association of Communications Agencies( EACA ). ... The ad, which has some 20 language versions, was aired on BBC World, CNBC, CNN, EuroNews, Sky News, E Entertainment, TV5 and Bloomberg." UITP/UNEP press release, 30 June 2008. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

New ads inside CNN's "Inside the Middle East." "CNN International today announced that Orascom Development Holding AG joins Orascom Telecom as exclusive sponsor of CNN's flagship Middle East flagship feature show 'Inside the Middle East' from this month." AMEInfo, 30 June 2008. Orascom is based in Cairo and specializes in "planning, building and operating integrated, self-sufficient leisure and residential towns around the world." Orascom website. See also Inside the Middle East web page. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Al-Jazeera's "Islam in America" will include Islam in Mississippi. "Al-Jazeera, the controversial Arabic-language TV news network, will be in Jackson [Mississippi] in July to film a story on the city’s Muslim community. ... The Jackson segment will be part of a larger story, 'Islam in America,' which will include stories filmed in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Dearborn, Mich." Clarion-Ledger (Jackson), 30 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

EuroNews to Asia via AsiaSat 2. "The EuroNews channel, covering news from a European perspective, has selected SatLink Communications ... to transmit its seven language, 24-hour news channel on SatLink's AsiaSat 2 MCPC (Multiple Channels Per Carrier) digital platform. ... AsiaSat 2’s excellent ground penetration guarantees instantaneous access to numerous cable operators, rebroadcasters, embassies, hotels and individual home viewers and listeners in the region. AsiaSat 2 also includes the largest number of foreign channels authorized by the Chinese government, and many of these are transmitted directly from SatLink’s teleport." broadcastbuyer, 30 June 2008. See also SatLink website. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

One shortwave transmitter does not a world radio station make. "Voice of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe's world radio station, appears to be reaching all parts of the globe judging by the correspondence it is receiving from countries as far apart as Brazil and India.
The station, which broadcasts on shortwave in the 60 metre (evenings) and 49 metre (daytime) bands, is also providing Zimbabweans in Binga and other outlying areas that cannot receive FM broadcasts, with a radio service. Voice of Zimbabwe station manager Shadreck Mupeni last week said letters have been received from as far afield as Brazil, Japan, India, Australia, Poland and Greece." The Sunday Mail (Harare), 29 June 2008. Andy Sennitt: "It’s interesting that the countries mentioned all have a significant number of shortwave listeners/DXers who routinely report to radio stations in an attempt to get their reception verified by a QSL card. It is technically impossible to provide a “world service” with a single transmitter operating in the 60 or 49 metre bands. Apparently the Voice of Zimbabwe is confusing DX reports with letters from people genuinely interested in the station’s programming." Kai Ludwig: "But do they have any interest in knowing better? Counting QSL haunters as real listeners is an old trick when determining listener figures. This includes fooling itself about good reception when no real-world listener would accept what the DXers picked out of the noise." Radio Netherlands Media Network, 29 June 2008. Posted: 30 Jun 2008 Permalink

Alhurra supports Radio Sawa. "A radio Sawa reporter was attacked by security guards of the secretary-general of the Ministry of Culture at the recent al-Marbad poetic festival in Basra, acting as a stern reminder that journalists continue to suffer aggressive and humiliating behavior at the hands of Iraqi officials.
... While such behavior might have been expected to embarrass the Ministry of Culture and to mobilize other media outlets in support of the abused journalist, nothing has happened and no condemnation emerged from other media organizations. With the exception of al-Hurra and the Journalistic Freedom Observatory in Iraq, efforts to highlight the incident went unheeded." Ahmed Thamer, Media Channel, 26 June 2008. Apparently referring to an incident reported in May. Alhurra and Radio Sawa are sister stations under the Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN) Inc., which is under the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

Two comments on the Alhurra controversy. "The government ought to pull the plug on this wasteful venture. But that doesn’t mean the voice of America or a pro-democracy message can’t or won’t be heard. Radio Free Europe, combined with Radio Liberty, continues to broadcast news, political commentaries, sports and music in the Middle East — all written, produced, and broadcast by nationals from the audience countries." Guy Petroziello, Bucks County Courier Times, 26 June 2008. Alhurra content is written, produced, and broadcast by nationals from the audience countries. And the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty is the "voice of America" as opposed to the unmentioned Voice of America? -- "With Hollywood stars, along with university professors and the American elitists, tearing down America’s traditional values on a daily basis, we certainly need to spread a positive image of America to the Arabic world. There has to be a counter-balance to the Sean Penns and Susan Sarandons of the world. If U.S. taxpayers have spent nearly half a billion dollars on Al Hurra in the last four years, I submit that it will do America more good than 'bridges to nowhere'!" Drema Molloy, TCPalm.com, 28 June 2008. Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

Commentator discusses his payments from Alhurra. "Both commercial media and slightly-public-funded media (such as NPR) pay for some appearances and commentary. And, as I explained to Kiel, when he interviewed me for the ProPublica article, it is customary for foreign media outlets that are state-supported--such as the BBC and the Canadian Broadcasting Company--to compensate guests for interviews and commentary. I have received such payments in the past (regrettably, only a handful of times). Alhurra was playing by these rules. Linzer and Kiel did not mention the BBC/CBC practice in the article. Moreover, Voice of America, something of a sister organization for Alhurra, also compensates journalists who are guests on some of its programs." David Corn, DavidCorn.com, 27 June 2008. Refers to article in ProPublica, 24 June 2008. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

A Swiss army knife as head of public diplomacy. "The new president ... should appoint as under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs a trusted, respected and a tough, Washington-savvy confidant with diplomatic, international, broadcasting and bureaucratic experience - a qualification sorely lacking in Bush appointees Karen Hughes and Charlotte Beers, whose expertise, respectively, consisted of political campaigning and advertising." John Brown, The Guardian comment is free, 26 June 2008. You can leave out the broadcasting experience, because the under secretary for public diplomacy does not have authority over U.S. international broadcasting. The chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the undersecretary are separate positions, and they should be adversarial when necessary. Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

Al-Jazeera v. Morocco. "The latest battle line drawn between [Morocco's] authorities and the media is some way south of Casablanca, in the coastal town of Sidi Ifni. In the dock for the manner of its reporting on disturbances earlier this month is Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based TV station which has been constantly under the spotlight of administrative attention since starting its daily broadcasts of Maghreb news in 2006. Now the Moroccan bureau chief of Al-Jazeera has reportedly been charged with publishing false information and conspiracy after the channel reported that there had been deaths when the police, on June 7, attempted to disperse youths who had blocked Sidi Ifni's port for a week in protest against local unemployment. The official version eventually reported 44 people being injured, mostly members of the security forces. While Al-Jazeera's initial reporting might well have erred on the dramatic side, there does seem to be more of a story in Sidi Ifni than the government would like to be made known." James Badcock, The Daily Star (Beirut), 27 June 2008. Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

Will BBC and KTV join in the rubbishing? "British broadcaster the BBC is to produce a documentary on labour conditions in Kuwait following a US report slating the Gulf state for its lack of action to protect expatriates from exploitation and stamp out human trafficking. The programme will be done by BBC Arabic in partnership with Kuwait Television (KTV) and will include interviews with numerous high-profile officials, state news agency KUNA reported on Saturday. ... Kuwait has rubbished the report's findings, claiming that it has criminalised all forms of human trafficking and that it provided assistance to victims." ArabianBusiness.com, 28 June 2008. Let's look for confirmation from the BBC on this. It presupposes the ability of KTV to report independently. Could this maybe be an informercial on BBC World News? Posted: 29 Jun 2008 Permalink

The anchor of BBC World News America writes about America. Review of Only in America: Inside the Mind and Under the Skin of the Nation Everyone Loves to Hate by Matt Frei, presenter of BBC World News America: "The breeziness of Frei's comment is fetching; but the same lightness also points to one of the irritating aspects of these essays: their lack of depth. A more complete examination of the think-tank phenomenon, for instance, would take into account its history, the fact that these foundations were largely funded by rightwing entrepreneurs who felt upset that so many intellectuals came from universities where leftist ideas (at least by their reckoning) dominated the conversation. The idea was to coopt some good brains for the right, and to add some intellectual ballast to conservative ideology. These institutions were created to supply a pool of talking heads for the Beltway talk shows. Their staff would generate op-ed pieces in the major newspapers and magazines, and would advise the administration in power. From this group of impressive brains came the Iraq war, their crowning achievement." Jay Parini, The Guardian, 28 June 2008. Frei likes Savannah, Sanata Fe, and San Francisco, and dislike Cambridge, Ohio, and Des Moines: "It's so cold in winter and so hot in summer that the buildings are connected by air-conditioned or heated walkways. It gives you a glimpse of life post-climatic disaster." The Observer, 29 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

BBC World News will tackle diseases. "Ruder Finn has been appointed by Imperial College London to handle advocacy activity around a series of global health documentaries on BBC World. The documentaries are a high profile part of this autumn's global health season on BBC World, tackling issues such as neglected tropical diseases, HIV, malaria, TB, child survival and maternal health." PRWeek, 27 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

BBC will drop Romanian (updated). "On August 1 2008 after 68 years of broadcasting. BBC Romanian broadcasts for almost four hours a day on radio and also runs a complementary website. It is the last of the BBC's non-English language services specifically aimed at countries that are EU member states. ... 'Europe has changed, fundamentally, since the early nineties; and with the rapidly declining audiences in Romania we can no longer justify continuing the service.'" BBC World Service press release, 25 June 2008. Update: Before BBC pulls the plug, it might want to monitor this: "Although initially rejected by the [Romanian] chamber of deputies, a proposed amendment to the broadcasting law that would force radio and TV stations to balance news with 'negative' themes with an equal amount of news with 'positive' themes was adopted yesterday by the senate." Reporters sans frontieres, 26 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

More criticism of BBC's agreement with Pakistan's media regulator. "Ever since the expose of the secret of the BBC World Service striking a deal with Pakistan’s PEMRA over the pre-censorship arrangements, questions are being asked if the BBC can stoop to that level of non-professional conduct then what example it is setting for those third world countries where journalists take its practices as model for their own standard of journalism." Media Monitors Netwok, 26 June 2008. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

RFI's scoop re Ugandan rebels. The leader of the Lord's Resistance Army in northern Uganda, Joseph Kony, "raised hopes that the peace process could continue when he affirmed his commitment to the talks in a rare phone interview with Radio France International." VOA New, 27 June 2008. "Kony immediately called Radio France International (RFI), crying foul. He said his soldiers had been attacked by SPLA and they fought back." The Independent (Kampala), 27 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

Is NAM-TV the next international channel? "Cuba, as the chair of the Non-Aligned Countries Movement, presented a declaration and a plan of action for the creation of a NAM news agency and a TV network... [Cuban deputy minister for foreign relations, Abelardo] Moreno said it is important that the Movement creates its own mechanisms to keep the world updated on real and objective events that take place in the different NAM member countries." ACN Cuban News Agency, 26 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

CNN's new joint venture in Chile. "CNN Chile, the first 24-hour news network in Chile, presented its executive team and official network logo as it prepares to begin broadcasting before the end of the year. ... CNN Chile will be operated by a locally based management team following all CNN's globally acclaimed journalistic and editorial guidelines. This joint venture marks the first of its kind in Latin America for both companies. CNN Worldwide has successful partnership channels in other parts of the world, including CNN+ in Spain; CNN Turk in Turkey; CNNj and CNN.com.jp, both in Japan; and CNN-IBN in India." Televisionpoint.com, 26 June 2008. Posted: 28 Jun 2008 Permalink

Peter Kann, Michael Meehan nominated for the BBG. "President George W. Bush nominated former Dow Jones Chief Executive Officer Peter Kann to be a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. ... A Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist for the Wall Street Journal, Kann was CEO of Dow Jones & Co. from 1991 to early 2006. He served as the company's chairman until April 2007. If confirmed by the Senate, Kann would serve out the remainder of former BBG Chairman James Glassman's three-year term, which expires in August 2010. ... In addition to Kann, Bush nominated Michael Meehan for another spot on the BBG." Dow Jones, 26 June 2008. About Meehan, this from SourceWatch: "Michael Meehan is president of BGR Public Relations, and vice president of the firm's parent company, BGR Holding LLC. ... Meehan previously served as chief of staff to Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and communications adviser to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)" Also from his bio at the BGR Holding website: "Meehan has held positions of influence in the public policy and media relations arenas." So Meehan will have a Democratic seat on the bipartisan BBG, and Kann a Republican seat. It is not clear if Kann will take over as chairman of the BBG, or if another member of the BBG will be nominated to that position. U.S. international broadcasting is primarily in the news business, so it is preferable for BBG members to have backgrounds in doing journalism rather than influencing journalism. -- The White House also withdraw its nomination to reappoint D. Jeffrey Hirschberg to the BBG, sent to the Senate 9 January 2007 for a term to expire 13 August 2007. The White House press release, 26 June 2008. Posted: 27 Jun 2008 Permalink

The dangers of being associated with U.S. international broadcasting. "In Bakharden, Turkmenistan today, a contributor to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service (Radio Azatlyk) was found beaten and tortured for refusing to sign a letter in which he agreed to stop reporting for RFE/RL. Three days ago, Sazak Durdymuradov, a history teacher whose commentary and analysis for Radio Azatlyk often focuses on educational and constitutional reform, was seized by Turkmen police from his home in Bakharden. Upon discovering Durdymuradov today at a detention facility run by the national security office (former KGB), his wife said he told her he 'wanted to die.' This incident occurred as the Turkmenistan government was hosting a 'Dialogue on Human Rights' with the European Union in the nation's capital, Ashgabat." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty press release, 24 June 2008. See also Reporters sans frontieres, 26 June 2008.
     Somalia: "Abdulkadir Mohammed Nunow, the director of Bosaso-based Radio Horseed and a correspondent of Voice of America’s Somali-language service, was released at 11 a.m. today after being held overnight without being charged." RSF, 26 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

Coming soon: the coveted VOA MBA. "Two-hundred days and counting until the Miami University Voice of America Learning Center opens its doors for classes. The 23,000 square-foot facility will house a variety of programs, including Alumni Career Services, graduate programs and potentially an undergraduate degree completion program. ... During the week, he said there is room for as many as 80 classes and 35 students per hour. Classes will include a master's of business and administration from the Farmer School of Business, graduate programs in education and a bachelor's of integrated studies." The Oxford (Ohio) Press, 26 June 2008. At the site of the old VOA Bethany shortwave transmitting station. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

They're young, and they work for free. "Teenagers from Iceland, Tajikistan and Serbia will join high school students from 34 other countries for a U.S. Department of State-sponsored program at Wake Forest University June 28 through July 30. ... While in Washington, D.C., the students will create programming for their native countries at the Voice of America headquarters." WFU press release, 25 June 2008. Tristan Milder, [an Elon University] junior from New Jersey, is interning at Voice of America in Washington, D.C. Milder works with several VOA Web shows including 'The Daily Download,' 'Election USA' and 'Going Green.' Milder contributed to the recently canceled news magazine 'The World Today,' which airs in India." The Pendulum, 25 June 2008. "Winooski native and Brandeis University student Eli Harrington ... was scheduled to leave Friday for an eight-week internship at Voice of America's Beijing bureau and will likely report on activities at the Summer Olympics." Burlingtom Free Press, 24 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

Another bring-back-USIA op-ed. "In its heyday, USIA used many resources to reach out to international audiences. Seasoned public affairs officers stationed in foreign capitals, speaking the local language, cultivated local newspaper editors, TV news directors, and other thought leaders. ... What a new president and Congress should do is revive the best of these past USIA programs, meld them with the newest technology, and create a new and even better USIA." John Hughes, Christian Science Monitor, 26 June 2008. Other than some libraries, curtailed by security concerns and somewhat obviated by the internet, what programs from the old USIA are missing U.S. public diplomacy under the State Department? What would be restored by the re-creation of USIA, other than suites full of senior-level bureaucrats? -- "Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan and US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on education cooperation. Under the MoU, the two nations will encourage more and deeper cooperation between US and Vietnamese universities, increase the number of Vietnamese students studying at American universities and colleges, and develop training programmes for Vietnamese students." VietNamNet Bridge, 26 June 2008. So educational exchanges still exist under State. -- Fighting the 21st century "war" involves warfare, "lawfare," and "what might be called jawfare: the war of ideas, the war against the supremacist ideologies that drive terrorism, and for freedom and other Western values. James K. Glassman, sworn in this month as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs — thereby putting him in charge of this command — candidly acknowledges that 'since the rise of Islamic terror we haven’t done enough on this front.'" Clifford D. May, National Review Online, 26 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

Zimbabwean admixture. "There was one simple reason Zimbabwe's opposition party withdrew from run-off elections this week: they couldn't campaign in the first place. The ruling Zanu-PF party made sure that no pro-opposition material was aired by the state broadcasters, effectively blocking any country-wide campaign coverage. ... The two private [sic] radio stations that broadcast into parts of Zimbabwe, the London-based SW Radio and Washington's Voice of America (VOA) have not fared any better. The signals for both stations are periodically jammed and one civilian now faces court charges of 'committing criminal nuisance' by listening to the VOA programme in public. Even satellite dishes that occasionally pick up South African and Botswanian broadcasts were removed by pro-government militias in southern Zimbabwe, so citizens would not be subjected to 'misleading reports'." Tom Rhodes, The Guardian comment is free, 25 June 2008. "African American civil rights leader Reverend Jesse Jackson has urged President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai to show their commitment to peace through negotiation and offered to broker talks between the two leaders to end the crisis in the country. Jackson who was speaking to Voice of America radio said he was aggrieved by the suffering of the Zimbabwean people." Zimbabwe Guardian, 25 June 2008. "In an exclusive interview on the Voice of America (VOA), Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Zimbabwean Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga took different positions on whether runoff elections should be held." VOA press release, 25 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

BBC is even at the library. "The National Education Ministry is arguably one of the more people-friendly government agencies in Jakarta. ... One feature that immediately draws visitors in is the giant, flat-screen TV at the far end of the reading room. Sit on a sofa, put on earphones and watch the latest BBC world news broadcast. ... The digital video discs are also popular. Many are from the BBC and other U.K. networks." Jakarta Post, 27 june 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

I hope the publicity campaign is easier to understand than the publicity about the publicity campaign. "The BBC Global News' worldwide search for dynamic digital agencies to join its new roster for international marketing has concluded with the incumbent agency, Agency Republic, winning a place on the roster alongside newcomers to the BBC's international business, Play. ... The BBC Global News roster will work on the BBC World Service, which broadcasts on radio, TV and online, and BBC World News television. Campaigns in the forthcoming year are likely to promote a range of language programming including English, Arabic, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese, and will seek to bring new audiences to the BBC's increasingly sophisticated online offer." BBC World Service press release, 26 June 2008. This press release is evidence that corporate-speak has become a language separate from English. At least I understand the part about publicity campaigns for five mentioned BBC languages. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

BBC helping to restore the UK's domain over the dominions. "BBC Worldwide announced today it will acquire Australia's subscription-television channel, UK.TV, taking 100% ownership of the channel from July 1st 2008. As one of three stakeholders in UK.TV (formerly with a 20 per cent share), BBC Worldwide's Channels business has agreed terms with joint partners FOXTEL and FremantleMedia to become the channel's sole owner. ... In addition, BBC Worldwide has formed a strategic alliance with FOXTEL to roll out three new channels in Australia from its new BBC-branded global portfolio." BBC Worldwide press release, 25 June 2008. If I have this right, the five channels would be UK.TV, BBC HD, BBC Knowledge, CBeebies, and BBC World News. -- "The BBC is increasingly active on the ABC's turf, having declared Australia to be one of its key growth markets. ... The deal would have no implications for the BBC's existing contracts with free-to-air broadcasters including the ABC." Sydney Morning herald, 26 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

Radio Australia delegation unwelcome in Fiji. "An audience survey by Australian broadcaster, Australian Network Television and Radio Australia, covering six Pacific Island countries, including Fiji is unlikely to be allowed to enter the country, sources have confirmed to Pacnews. The five-member team, led by ABC International head, Murray Green, was scheduled to meet with local stakeholders in Suva on July 14. ... The team[']s visit was to cover Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Samoa and American Samoa. It's part of ABCs strategy to re-engage with their Pacific audience and see how Australian Network and Radio Australia can better serve the Pacific." Fiji Times, 24 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

MEMRI says Aljazeera says "U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Persecuting U.S. Muslims." Aljazeera (Arabic) reporter: "We are at the Islamic Saudi Academy in the state of Virginia - the largest institution teaching the Arabic language and Islamic education on the East Coast of the U.S. However, this institution faces mounting pressure, and this is a nightmare for the families of the students enrolled in the academy. This pressure is being brought to bear by several Congressmen, known for their great hostility towards Arabs and Muslims." Middle East Media Resaerch Institute, 25 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

"Fight Terror With YouTube" "When it comes to user-generated content and interactivity, Al Qaeda is now behind the curve. And the United States can help to keep it there by encouraging the growth of freer, more empowered online communities, especially in the Arab-Islamic world. ... Statements by Mr. bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, that are posted to YouTube do draw comments aplenty. But the reactions, which range from praise to blanket condemnation, are a far cry from the invariably positive feedback Al Qaeda gets on moderated jihadist forums. And even Al Qaeda’s biggest YouTube hits attract at most a small fraction of the millions of views that clips of Arab pop stars rack up routinely. ... There is a simple lesson here: unfettered access to a free Internet is not merely a goal to which we should aspire on principle, but also a very practical means of countering Al Qaeda. As users increasingly make themselves heard, the ensuing chaos will not be to everyone’s liking, but it may shake the online edifice of Al Qaeda’s totalitarian ideology." RFE/RL senior analyst Daniel Kimmage, New York Times, 26 June 2008. Recommended reading, even though I begrudge Mr. Kimmage's status as senior analyst, myself being an analyst who is growing old and tailspinning to retirement, but will never be "senior." Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

The internet may no longer be going by the old script. "Emily Taylor ... of Nominet, one of the world's largest internet registries, said including non-Roman scripts could be a major turning point in the history of the internet. 'There are currently 1.5 billion people using the internet, which means that there are a good 4.5 billion people who are not doing so,' she said. 'These people are not from Europe or America – most of them will be from developing world nations where the Roman script is meaningless.'" The Independent, 26 June 2008. Posted: 26 Jun 2008 Permalink

Alhurra media scrutiny: the second wave. Discussion with James Glassman, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs and former chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and Shibley Telhami, a professor of Middle East politics at the University of Maryland. "Telhami: Think about this for a minute. It's a government-funded news outlet. Look at the criticism that it's been receiving just in the last two days about airing a couple of segments that are critical of Israel on Al Hurra. Well, if you can -- even if they continue to do this, they're going to think about it twice. If you're a reporter, you're going to look behind your shoulder." ... Glassman: A lot of members of Congress don't understand -- I want to say it right now on this television show. We are professional broadcasters, and members of Congress who want us to be propagandists, we won't do that. We absolutely will not do that." PBS NewsHour, 23 June 2008.
     Daniel Schorr compares Alhurra to "unflashy Voice of America" and says the former is "trying to sell a propaganda line." National Public Radio, 24 June 2008.
     "I do think al-Hurra nowadays reports most of the basic news in a fairly straightforward manner. In speaking to a number of Arab journalists and others who want al-Hurra to succeed, however, there was a common complaint: al-Hurra doesn't go far enough in reporting the hard stories, the pieces about corruption and torture that are also ignored by their competitors in the Arab world. Covering those subjects would allow al-Hurra to stand out, and give it more credibility." Craig Whitlock online discussion, Washington Post, 24 June 2008.
     "I wrote about the on-its-face ludicrous idea that you could make a Radio Free Europe for the Middle East back in March 2006. Michael Young attacked the idea two years before that." Matt Welch, Reason, 24 June 2008.
     "The upshot of it all is that though the Arab world has many problems, it's just not a situation like Eastern Europe. Most Eastern Europeans regarded their governments as not only repressive, but as puppets of a Moscow-based Russian empire and many were willing to embrace the idea of US-assisted liberation. A lot of Americans would like Arabs to see the geopolitics of the Greater Middle East in that way, but relatively few actually do. ... But the essential first step is to not let our picture of the situation be clouded by wishful thinking or a weird kind of nostalgia and al-Hurra reflects both." Matthew Yglesias, TheAtlantic.com, 23 June 2008.
     "Al-Hurra is not perfect, but it is pretty good, and in some areas, such as the Iraq-market, I tend to see it as the market leader. When Iraqi politicians want to be heard and seen, they rush to get airtime on Al-Hurra. ... In order to understand the array of anti-Al-Hurra agendas, here’s a breakdown of Al-Hurra’s American and Arab enemies and my take on their probable motivations: ... -Voice of America apparatchiks (federal employees, many of them leftie journalists too) who covet Al-Hurra’s budget, and resent being frozen out of its control." Nibras Kazimi, Talisman Gate, 23 June 2008.
     "Children of Jewish Holocaust Survivors Los Angeles (CJHSLA) is calling upon Congress to immediately investigate why the State Department is using the money of US taxpayers to spread hateful pro-terrorist and anti-Israel propaganda." Press release, 24 June 2008.
     "Alhurra, the U.S. government-funded Arabic news channel, paid former Bush and Clinton administration officials, lobbyists and high-profile Washington journalists tens of thousands of dollars in U.S. taxpayer money to appear on the network as commentators, according to interviews and a review of company records." ProPublica, 24 June 2008.
     "A former Alhurra employee was arrested earlier this month when he tried to break into the White House. The incident came just days after Homam Ali, 22, was allegedly fired for poor performance from his production assistant job at Alhurra, headquartered in Springfield, Va., where he had worked three years, according to two people at Alhurra familiar with his employment status." ProPublica, 23 June 2008.
     All these media pieces have not produced firm evidence that Alhurra has either a pro-U.S. or anti-U.S. bias. If ProPublica could only come up with one recent offending passage in its content analysis, that might be the exception that proves that Alhurra is playing it relatively straight. And I don't think Daniel Schorr is sufficiently fluent in Arabic to conclude that Alhurra "is trying to sell a propaganda line." The USC analysis of Alhurra content could be interesting, when it is released (if it is made public).
     If U.S. international broadcasting concentrates on providing accurate, objective, balanced news, to the extent humanly possible, there should not be problems in the future, even if there were problems in the past. (Well, okay, there will problems among those who think U.S. international broadcasting should transmit propaganda. And speaking of which, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-FL) call for a hearing about Alhurra might not be heeded, because the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Howard Berman (D-CA), is friendly with Norm Pattiz, the former BBG member who created Alhurra.)
     The real test is the ability to attract an audience. Here it would be useful for the BBG to make a frank and comprehensive public presentation of the audience research it has done in the Arab countries.
     It is probably unrealistic to expect Alhurra to have audiences larger than those of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya. It is more reasonable to give Alhurra the goal of competing well with BBC Arabic Television, but even that may be difficult. The answer may be for Alhurra to counterprogram BBC, doing this when BBC is doing that, doing that when BBC is doing this. Then Alhurra may find a respectable niche. See previous post about same subject. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Didn't the Pointer Sisters have a song about this? Prof. Volker Bergahn of Columbia University: "A respectable sum has been invested to rescue America's reputation after the Iraq disaster in the world through cultural diplomacy. However, most of the American Secretaries for Public Diplomacy have only lasted a few months. Most of them were probably frustrated fast, being pushed too hard for fast and short term results. This reiterates the need for more long term approaches to cultural diplomacy. It will take time to win the minds and hearts, thus leading to the need for sustainable approaches to cultural diplomacy." Cultural Diplomacy News, 24 June 2008. It will also need the eradication of the term "hearts and minds." Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

RFE involved in historical claims about Lech Walesa. New book published in Poland claims that, in the 1970s, Lech Walesa "wrote reports and informed on more than 20 people and some of them were persecuted by the communist police. He identified people and eavesdropped on his colleagues at work while they were listening to Radio Free Europe for example." The former Solidarity movement leader and Polish president "strenuously denies the claims." BBC News, 23 June 2008. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Iranian website accuses Al Alarabiya (and VOA) of "flirting with terrorists." "The Persian website of Al-Arabiya, which was recently launched with the help of the U.S. State Department and Persian speakers living in the U.S., is under the direct supervision of U.S. psychological warfare experts and a certain Arab country’s cultural attache’s office in Washington. ... While the U.S. claims it is engaged in a relentless campaign against terrorism, the Voice of America and Al-Arabiya are making coordinated efforts to depict the criminal acts of the Jundullah group in southeastern Iran as revolutionary acts." Tehran Times, 24 June 2008. The information in this article should be treated with the proper skepticism. However, it is correct about Al Arabiya now having a Persian website. It also has an Urdu website. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Al-Qaeda's propaganda operation. "The war against terrorism has evolved into a war of ideas and propaganda, a struggle for hearts and minds fought on television and the Internet. On those fronts, al-Qaeda's voice has grown much more powerful in recent years. Taking advantage of new technology and mistakes by its adversaries, al-Qaeda's core leadership has built an increasingly prolific propaganda operation, enabling it to communicate constantly, securely and in numerous languages with loyalists and potential recruits worldwide. ... [Some analysts] warn against underestimating Zawahiri's skill at keeping the debate focused on U.S. policy in the Middle East, a subject that strikes a chord with millions of Muslims, even those otherwise unsympathetic to al-Qaeda." Craig Whitlock, Washington Post, 24 June 2008. This is the second in a series by Whitlock, the first being about Alhurra. See also previous post about same subject. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Enough video for a 91-year-long special. "Al-Jazeera has bought access to more than 800,000 hours of ITN-owned video content. The video content deal between al-Jazeera and ITN's archive business, ITN Source, is thought to be in worth more than ￡500,000 and will give the Doha-based news broadcaster access to the footage for more than five years. ... The licensing agreement covers unlimited global transmissions on the al-Jazeera network, its associated carriers and online outlets including al-Jazeera's YouTube pages." The Guardian, 24 June 2008. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Zimbabwe: six months in jail, or worse, for listening to VOA. "Police have charged a street vendor for listening to a special news programme on Zimbabwe broadcast by the Voice of America, as President Robert Mugabe’s government tries hard to limit alternative information available to voters ahead of a run-off presidential election next week. The vendor, Noel Tichawana, who was arrested about three weeks ago will appear in court on July 15 to answer to charges of committing criminal nuisance after he was caught listening to the programme, Studio 7, that broadcasts political, economic and general news on Zimbabwe. Tichawana, who is probably the first person to be charged for listening to the Studio 7 programme that is considered hostile by Mugabe’s government, faces up to six months in jail if found guilty. ... 'On several occasions, accused person would play his radio set at high volume attracting a crowd as he would switch it to America's Studio . . . informant then arrested the accused and brought him to St Mary's police station,' reads the charge sheet submitted to court." The Zimbabwean, 23 June 2008. In May, "Mugabe's mercenaries tortured 70 people, six to death. One of them was Joseph Madzuramhende, who had a radio tuned in to Voice of America." Wall Street Journal, 24 June 2008. "Foreign radio and television are popular throughout the country, partly due to the poor quality of Zimbabwe’s only domestic broadcaster, the state-run ZBC." Committee to Protect Journalists, 23 June 2008. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

RFI reporter still in Niger prison. Reporters sans frontieres "deplores the Niamey public prosecutor’s decision to file an immediate appeal against an investigating judge’s decision today to allow detained journalist Moussa Kaka to be released provisionally. The appeal blocked the release of Kaka, who continues to be held in a Niamey prison. The director of privately-owned Radio Saraounia and the Niger correspondent of Radio France Internationale and Reporters Without Borders, Kaka has been held on a charge of 'complicity in a conspiracy against the authority of the state' since 20 September." RSF, 23 June 2008. See also Reuters, 23 June 2008. Posted: 25 Jun 2008 Permalink

Throwing out the Alhurra bathwater, and probably the baby, too. Alhurra, U.S. international broadcasting's 24-hour Arabic television channel, as well as its audio counterpart Radio Sawa, have come under a torrent of media scrutiny...
     "'Did you wonder whether the United States government should be in the business of Arab news gathering?" [Scott] Pelley asks [former Alhurra news director] Larry Register. 'I don't think any government should be involved in news gathering. 'Cause you can't make independent decisions if you have a government over you telling you what you can and can't do,' he says. 'If it's credible you run afoul with the government. If you follow the line of the government, nobody watches it in the Middle East,' Pelley remarks. 'It's a no-win situation, as I painfully found out,' Register says." CBS's 60 Minutes, 22 June 2008.
     "A study due out next month by a University of Southern California team questions whether the network has achieved either objectivity or professionalism. The review was commissioned by the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Alhurra. ... The researchers studied the network’s coverage of the three-day Mideast summit in Annapolis, Md. and found that it strongly favored U.S. and Israeli government positions. Throughout November, they concluded, the network also strongly supported the Iraqi government and was especially favorable to pro-Iranian political figures inside Iraq." Dafna Linzer, ProPublica, 22 June 2008.
     Former Alhurra news director Mouafac Harb "resigned in 2006. He said he left ... because he sensed the Broadcasting Board of Governors wanted al-Hurra to promote U.S. foreign policy instead of just reporting the news. He said the station has since become more cautious. 'There is a tendency to please Washington and not the audience,' he said. 'It looks like C-SPAN in Arabic -- who cares?' Other former al-Hurra staffers said Harb was encouraged to leave." Craig Whitlock, Washington Post, 23 June 2008.
     "A segment about Alhurra Television that aired Sunday night on the CBS program 60 Minutes distorted facts about the station's audience research, its coverage of Israel, and its editorial practices. ... Independent research indicates that Alhurra has the largest weekly audience of any non-Arab broadcaster in the Middle East, up from 21 million in 2006 to 26 million today." Broadcasting Board of Governors press release, 23 June 2008.
     "The hero in the 60 Minutes segment is the very person [Larry Register] responsible for most of the broadcasts cited as problematic. Though far from perfect, Al-Hurra no longer strives to provide airtime to terrorists from Hamas, Hezbollah or al Qaeda. Such guests are now banned. The only recent evidence cited by 60 Minutes, in fact, is from a live roundtable interview program where Palestinian political commentator Hani El-Masri, who arguably is a moderate in his society, said that Israel is a 'racist state that ...perpetrates a holocaust against 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza.' His comment, as 60 Minutes notes, was not contradicted or challenged. But where's the pattern? The promotional headline certainly suggests more than one example of 'anti-Israel rhetoric.'" Joel Mowbray, Power Line, 23 June 2008.
     See Kim's commentary. And previous post about same subject. Also this previous post about Alhurra's audience size. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

But weren't we always taught there is no such thing as a stupid question? "Romania president Traian Basescu reproached on Friday a local correspondent of Radio France Internationale that her questions lack a minimum of intelligence." HotNews.ro, 20 June 2008. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

Cooperation, cooperation, cooperation between Iranian and Cuban broadcasting. "Iran and Cuba concluded their 13th joint cooperation commission meeting by signing a memorandum of understanding to bolster cooperation ... [including] cooperation between state-run radio and television networks in both countries." Fars News Agency, 20 June 2008. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

Why there is international broadcasting to Iran. "An Iranian newspaper has been banned after carrying articles critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's economic policies, the state Press TV satellite station said on its website." Reuters, 22 June 2008. See also the Press TV story, 22 June 2008. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

More selectively blocking the internet. "It used to be that when a country wanted to block the Internet, it faced an all-or-nothing choice. Pick something offensive, and block it all. ... But that kind of wholesale approach might be falling from favor. Eager to avoid the label of Internet pariah, as well as the economic and political costs of sustained blocking, many authoritarian countries are turning to more subtle solutions. This shift may give the appearance that less of the Internet is being filtered. But, experts warn, it really just means that filtering is becoming increasingly difficult to detect—and perhaps even more effective." Carolyn O’Hara, Foreign Policy, July/August 2008. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

Burmese relief effort needs another 950 shortwave radios. "Seven weeks after huge swaths of Burma were savaged by a cyclone and tidal wave, a new and remarkable citizen movement is delivering emergency supplies to survivors neglected by the military government's haphazard relief effort. ... A magazine editor ... pooled funds with other journalists and artists in the hope of purchasing 1,000 shortwave radios so delta survivors could receive uncensored foreign news broadcasts. In the end, the group could afford only 50 but managed to distribute them in villages." Washington Post, 21 June 2008. Posted: 23 Jun 2008 Permalink

Austrian shortwave services to be "überprüfen" out of existence? (updated) Facing budget shortfall, Austrian public broadcaster ORF will "examine" its shortwave and meium wave service. derStan