VOA Remains at Forefront of Ukraine War Coverage, from Kyiv to Washington
VOA’s Ukrainian and Russian Services are at the forefront of developments in Ukraine, providing value-added content to audiences seeking fact-based news and information on Russia's brutal war, now in its third month. Their impactful reporting featured comprehensive last-minute coverage of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unannounced visit to Kyiv; interviews with ex-Gazprombank vice-president Igor Volobuev who defected to Ukraine from Russia and joined Ukraine’s defense forces and visiting Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya; simultaneously translated remarks by President Biden on additional aid to Ukraine, Secretary Blinken's testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and the UNSC meeting on atrocities committed by Russia in Ukraine; live coverage of rallies in support of Ukraine in Washington and Manhattan; infographics on weaponry the U.S. is supplying to Ukraine; a Seattle-based company producing special drones for Ukrainian forces; volunteers helping women and children in Ukraine; and eyewitness accounts of Russian military crimes in a Kyiv suburb. Coverage, including VOA Ukrainian’s 20 interactives with affiliates, garnered millions of views and tens of thousands of interactions on social media.
VOA Deewa Coverage of Bombing of Confucius Institute in Karachi Draws Significant Audience Interest
VOA Deewa reporter was at the site shortly after the suicide attack on the Confucius Institute in Karachi, Pakistan, that killed four individuals, including three Chinese nationals, who offered eyewitness accounts of the aftermath. Observers commented on the attack and its political ramifications. “It raises a lot of questions and might have multiplier effect in the coming days, it reflects the alienation of Baloch people,” a former Pakistani army retired General, Lt. General Talat Masood told VOA Deewa. The video report about the attack generated 253,000 views on Facebook and 17,000 reactions.
VOA Spanish Service Focuses on Multimedia Coverage of Complex and Hostile Environments for Journalists
Threats to journalists, intimidation, violence and disinformation pose challenges to media in Latin America. Radio, TV and Digital teams of the service produced original reports and analysis on laws imposed in El Salvador that fine journalists covering gang violence, the need for professional development of journalists in Venezuela, closure of media in Nicaragua due to censorship and the ongoing collaborative project with the News Center on threats to journalists in Mexico. The in-depth reports focused on the hearing in Mexico of the Hague Tribunal investigating the 2011 killing of Mexican reporter Miguel Velasco.
VOA Mandarin’s Interview with China Expert Piques Audience Interest
VOA Mandarin’s interview with the Hoover Institution’s Matt Johnson about a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology chief drew significant audience numbers. He said Wang Huning has laid the ideological foundation for the party since the 1990s through “neo-authoritarianism” – achieving growth through market economy while maintaining tight political control. Johnson told VOA that Xi Jinping, in the meantime, will cling to power and push further militarization - warning the resurgence of one-man rule and quasi-alliances between regimes like China and Russia will harm people internally and endanger the peace externally. The interview garnered nearly 100,000 views on Twitter.
Audience High Interest in VOA Persian’s Coverage of Hamid Nouri Trial
VOA Persian has been closely covering the Hamid Nouri landmark trial in Sweden. Hamideh Aramideh provided live updates daily from the courthouse. One of her reports reached 95,956 views on Instagram. She also interviewed Vida Mehrannia, wife of Ahmadreza Djalali (371,058 Instagram reach; 28,321 YouTube views) and Hassan Hatemi, Representative of the Overseas Committee of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (136,180 Instagram reach). Raha Bahreini of Amnesty International (97,251 Instagram reach) also spoke to VOA about Hamid Nouri's charges of war crimes. Audience engagement on all digital platforms surpassed 1,299,200.
VOA Hausa Interview Generates Digital Engagement, Cited by Nigerian Outlets
Senator Abdullahi Adamu Chairman of Nigeria's All Progressives Congress (APC) party in an exclusive interview with VOA Hausa said the requirement of N100 million (about $200,000) for the presidential nomination form prevents the opposition from creating intra-party crisis within the ruling APC party. The interview which was posted on Facebook, YouTube and VOA Hausa's website, has received over 325,000 views on Facebook and has been cited by leading online newspapers in Nigeria like the Premium Times.
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