VOA's Somali Service had a terrific scoop -- interviewed the father of the 16-year-old Somali pirate who is in U.S. custody. The Dad, who calls himself a nomad, says he can't believe his son would do such a thing as piracy. Check out www.voanews.com
Also, wanted to mention we've just run a terrific training program in Haiti for journalists -- teaching them how to cover drug resistance and avian influenza.
Please make sure you follow my blog! And let me know the kinds of things you want to know about.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
VOA's Persian News Network
There have been a lot of stories out there about
VOA's Persian News Network. Here's the REAL story: The State Department’s Office of Inspector General has issued a report that, overall, praises the Voice of America’s (VOA) Persian News Network (PNN). “VOA successfully built PNN into its first full-fledged network in an extraordinarily short period of time,” said the report, which is posted on the State Department’s website, http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/121748.pdf. “Given the U.S. strategic interest in communicating with Iranians, PNN represents a major achievement in setting up a network that reaches approximately 29 percent of Iranians in Iran," the report said. Started in July 2007, PNN now reaches more than 13 million people weekly in a country with no press freedom. That's huge. Of course, there have been some hiccups in creating a network -- and the State Department report points those out. But, VOA has embraced the recommendations in the report and moved to make changes already.
And, if you want to see for yourself, just come visit VOA and take a Studio Tour where we watch Farsi broadcasting. You can also check it out at www.voanews.com/Persian.
VOA's Persian News Network. Here's the REAL story: The State Department’s Office of Inspector General has issued a report that, overall, praises the Voice of America’s (VOA) Persian News Network (PNN). “VOA successfully built PNN into its first full-fledged network in an extraordinarily short period of time,” said the report, which is posted on the State Department’s website, http://oig.state.gov/documents/organization/121748.pdf. “Given the U.S. strategic interest in communicating with Iranians, PNN represents a major achievement in setting up a network that reaches approximately 29 percent of Iranians in Iran," the report said. Started in July 2007, PNN now reaches more than 13 million people weekly in a country with no press freedom. That's huge. Of course, there have been some hiccups in creating a network -- and the State Department report points those out. But, VOA has embraced the recommendations in the report and moved to make changes already.
And, if you want to see for yourself, just come visit VOA and take a Studio Tour where we watch Farsi broadcasting. You can also check it out at www.voanews.com/Persian.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Lots of VOA News ...
VOA is a busy place these days...
1. First, VOA's Radio Deewa -- the vibrant, popular 24-hour-a-day Pashto-language program that reaches into Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. VOA Director Dan Austin -- in a letter published in the New York Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/opinion/106voice.html
talked about the reporting Deewa is doing. Dan's letter was a rebuttal of a piece former Pentagon official Doug Feith published in the NYT. Feith claimed that U.S. broadcasting was not around to cover the bombing of the Shrine of Rahman Baba on March 5. Not only did Deewa cover it -- we had three journalists there!
Then, there was Ahmad Babeti's story on CBS's 60 Minutes. Anderson Cooper interviewed Batebi about his time in an Iranian prison. Chilling stuff! Check out the piece on Ahmad's website. http://www.ahmadbatebi.us/
Oh yes -- and check out the new VOA homepage at www.voanews.com
And our coverage of Obama's Town Hall in Turkey.
Meantime, VOA is planning a big Town Hall meeting on May 5 at the Newseum. We're doing this with George Washington University -- more later...
I'm off this week, but checking in remotely. Joan
1. First, VOA's Radio Deewa -- the vibrant, popular 24-hour-a-day Pashto-language program that reaches into Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province. VOA Director Dan Austin -- in a letter published in the New York Times(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/06/opinion/106voice.html
talked about the reporting Deewa is doing. Dan's letter was a rebuttal of a piece former Pentagon official Doug Feith published in the NYT. Feith claimed that U.S. broadcasting was not around to cover the bombing of the Shrine of Rahman Baba on March 5. Not only did Deewa cover it -- we had three journalists there!
Then, there was Ahmad Babeti's story on CBS's 60 Minutes. Anderson Cooper interviewed Batebi about his time in an Iranian prison. Chilling stuff! Check out the piece on Ahmad's website. http://www.ahmadbatebi.us/
Oh yes -- and check out the new VOA homepage at www.voanews.com
And our coverage of Obama's Town Hall in Turkey.
Meantime, VOA is planning a big Town Hall meeting on May 5 at the Newseum. We're doing this with George Washington University -- more later...
I'm off this week, but checking in remotely. Joan
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