Volunteer citizen aid to newly-arriving Afghan refugees in the United States has lit a bright new spark of hope. And many local communities in our country are moving to teach and assist the new Afghan arrivals as they confront unique challenges today. Welcoming the Afghan refugees as they adjust to a life-changing experience Washington Post…
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Journalist Rojas passed away at a nursing facility in Maryland after a battle with cancer and kidney failure. She was New York’s first Latina broadcaster at WCBS-TV in 1968. Ms. Rojas went on to a 32-year career on-air in every major network affiliate in Manhattan and later in Chicago. New York Times correspondent Sam Roberts…
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A panel of media and foreign affairs experts gathered February 3 in Washington to assess America’s largest publicly-financed media organization at a landmark historic week in Voice history. Among them: —VOA Acting Director Yolanda Lopez —Sanford (Sandy) Ungar, Director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University and Former VOA Director —Roya Mahboob of Afghanistan’s…
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In Washington, European capitals and Moscow, the future of Ukraine remains at the forefront of a crucial effort to avoid the most dangerous international crisis since the Cold War. In recent weeks, there has been a buildup of Russian troops east and north of Ukraine — the latest estimates are forces numbering more than 100,000,…
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A little past midnight on February 1, 1942, a then rookie potential staff of the Voice of America was summoned to a New York studio to record VOA’s first-ever broadcast to the world. It was an incredible moment. A pair of startled Voice announcers wore tuxes, having been summoned from Manhattan operas for their long-awaited…
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Shortly after Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on January 19, the Voice of America gained an authoritative readout from America’s top diplomat on how Washington views the Ukraine crisis. During an exclusive Kiev interview with Secretary Blinken shortly after his meeting with Mr. Zelensky, VOA’s East Europe…
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Note: This article was originally released on the USC Center on Public Diplomacy Blog: https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/43-pence-day-cost-british-soft-power. News broke January 15, 2022 that the UK government is set to freeze the BBC license fee. UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has proposed what amounts to a £285 million yearly reduction in the national broadcaster’s budget. This decision will likely cause significant harm…
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David Sanger of the New York Times sums up the crisis crisply: —Russian troops are encircling Ukraine from three sides. —There are warnings of crushing Western sanctions against Russia if more of Moscow’s troops enter Ukraine. —Yet there are still “off-ramps” in the crisis. Soon, the United States and NATO are expected to react forcefully…
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On January 14, a devastating tsunami struck the Tonga archipelago, a republic of 170 islands close to the center of the world’s largest ocean. The islands, before the unprecedented tragedy, were home to at least 100,000 people. Total casualties are still unclear. Initially, only three deaths were reported — but the total losses are expected…
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Anticipating today’s celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Public Diplomacy Council President Sherry Lee Mueller shared a quote over the weekend: “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied together in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all of us indirectly.” Contained in Dr. King’s “Letter from a…
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