VOA Mandarin’s Coverage of Tsai-McCarthy Meeting Draws Substantial Audience Interest
VOA Mandarin’s comprehensive reporting on Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s much-anticipated meeting with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, was a significant draw. “Thank you, VOA. We witnessed a historic moment,” said one viewer, with another adding “We are grateful for your work.” VOA Mandarin’s 24 video clips on the visit, which came as Beijing flexed its military muscle in protest, generated nearly 1M Twitter views between April 2 and April 10, while a one-hour TV special and live streaming of the Tsai-McCarthy meeting with translation garnered 373K views on YouTube in four days. The service’s broadcasts were also popular with affiliates in Taiwan and Indonesia.
VOA’s Exclusive Frontline Coverage Attracts Audiences on Social Media
VOA Ukrainian reports from the frontlines in Ukraine generated significant audience engagement, garnering half-a-million views and thousands of interactions on social media in the last week. Documenting the work of a military unit in Donbas, reporters showed how Ukrainian forces are using American howitzers on the battlefield. “What is unique here is that they were supplied on time and that Ukrainian servicemen were able to learn to operate them and use them in battle in an incredibly short period of time," Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine spokesman, Serhiy Cherevaty told VOA.
VOA Spanish Trump Indictment Coverage Engages Audiences in Latin America
Up-to-the-minute multiplatform coverage of the Donald Trump arraignment, explainers of investigations that led to historic legal action against a former president, live on-location situation updates, as well as reactions of Trump supporters and opponents in New York and Mar-a-Lago, Florida, drew 227K+ views across digital platforms and significant affiliate interest in the last week. Four correspondents conducted 158 live and 265 prerecorded reports, providing 60 hours of on-air presence on Latin American affiliates over three days. Photo galleries and in-depth articles provided additional context regarding the proceedings. March 31 and April 4 newscasts focused on the Trump indictment got 25K+ and 22K+ views, respectively, on YouTube.
News Center Tweet About 'Government-Funded Media' Controversy Gets Attention
A weekend tweet from Chief National Correspondent Steve Herman noting that both NPR and VOA had been labeled as “government-funded” by Twitter got more than 1.1 million views and was retweeted by notable social media influencers including George Conway III (2.1 million followers) and Molly Jong-Fast (1 million followers).
VOA Bambara's Exclusive Interview with New U.S. Ambassador to Mali Engages the Audience
In her first interview since taking office, newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mali Rachna Korhonen spoke to VOA Bambara on April 6. She explained the goals she has set for the Sahel region, especially Mali, at a time when the Chinese and Russian influence is growing in the region. She emphasized the critical role rural women will play in her agenda. VOA Bambara’s Mali Kura show, which included the interview, has received more than 260k Facebook views in five days.
VOA Urdu's Interview with Pakistan’s Petroleum Minister Cited by Major National Media Outlets
In an exclusive interview with VOA on April 3, Musadik Malik, Pakistani Minister of State for Petroleum, announced that his government plans to place its first order for Russian crude oil in the coming weeks. Following the footsteps of India, according to Malik, Pakistan expects to receive the Russian oil tanker at the Karachi port by the end of the month. The interview generated significant attention in Pakistan’s national media, as leading daily newspapers and online news outlets cited the minister’s statements with attribution to VOA.