VOA’s Impactful Ukraine-related Coverage Draws Growing Number of Viewers
VOA Ukrainian broke the story of the White House confirmation that the U.S. and its allies are supplying anti-ship missiles to Ukraine to strengthen its coastal defenses, garnering more than 70 quotes/reprints in Ukrainian media. The service received the response via a question to the National Security Council. VOA Ukrainian's and VOA Russian’s Ukraine-related coverage, especially on weapons used in the war, continues to draw an ever-growing audience, netting more than 3.1 million views on social media. VOA Ukrainian’s in-depth reporting on the impact and effectiveness of the new U.S. military aid package, featured former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine William Taylor, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State David Kramer, U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter and Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova.
VOA Spanish Comprehensive Coverage of Summit of the Americas Resonates with Audiences
Multiplatform comprehensive coverage of the Summit of the Americas generated significant digital traffic, with more than 1.2 million views on YouTube and more than 207k views across social media platforms. VOA Spanish correspondents produced 100 to 120 daily live shots for regional affiliates. Content shared with affiliates and VOA Central News included high-profile interviews with U.S. officials like Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar, L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Latin American Presidents such as Ecuador’s Guillermo Lasso, Paraguay’s Mario Abdo Benítez, Costa Rica’s Rodrigo Chaves Robles, and UNHCR’s High Commissioner Fillipo Grandi.
Significant Viewership for VOA Mandarin’s Coverage of ‘China Challenge’ Summit
Audiences flocked to VOA Mandarin’s digital platforms for its reporting on a conference at the University of Utah Valley, where think tank experts, business leaders, as well as current and former U.S. officials discussed China-related issues. Video clips from the summit boosted online traffic significantly. A video of former deputy national security adviser Matthew Pottinger arguing Chinese President Xi Jinping (born 1953) may hold onto power until he dies, garnered nearly 236,000 views on Twitter. Video of U.S. ambassador to China Nicholas Burns saying Beijing - not Washington - is accelerating the decoupling process, generated 123,000 views.
VOA News Center Exclusive Picked Up by Multiple Pakistan Media Outlets
Islamabad-based reporter Ayaz Gul's exclusive that ailing former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf will return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile in Dubai was picked up by India’s ANI news agency, leading to pickups with credit to VOA in The Print, PTC News TV, Newsfeed, Daily Hunt, Take One Digital Network and Nagaland. In addition, mainstream Pakistani Urdu TV channels ran tickers from the story on their screens with proper attribution to VOA.
VOA Somali Town Hall Generates Significant In-person Audience Turnout and Engagement
More than 250 young men and women, as well as others, attended a VOA Somali town hall in Hargeisa, Somaliland on women’s voting rights and political participation. The diverse panel included a lawmaker, a religious scholar, and a woman activist, all discussing the importance of women’s rights in pursuing public office. “Unless women are given their quota, and political parties show their commitment to fulfill 30% quota for women, it will be very difficult for women to be accepted as leaders and to be granted votes in elections,” said Somaliland lawmaker Hassan Dhuhul Laabsaleh.
VOA Turkish Coverage of Crackdown on Press Freedom Attracts Attention
VOA Turkish service’s coverage of the state of independent media in Turkey addressed numerous developments, including the government’s use of licensing procedures to block international media outlets, the “disinformation bill” which threatens journalists with punitive actions, and the detention of 20 Kurdish journalists. The service’s Diyarbakir stringer Mahmut Bozarslan filed a story on the police raids in the south-east of the country that targeted what the authorities called Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK's) “press committee structure.” “Finally getting more attention in English” - Washington Post’s Middle East arts and culture reporter, Vanessa Larson, wrote, retweeting the story on VOA English website.
VOA Persian’s Documentary “Deception” Engages the Audience
Hodjat Tavakoli’s 30-minute original documentary film “Deception” offered an in-depth look into the factors in Ayatollah Khomeini’s biography that led to false promises for the country that was deceived when he became the Supreme Leader. “Deception” was the most watched video on VOA Persian’s YouTube channel (nearly 369K views) and other social media platforms. In addition, news reports on IAEA and the Islamic Republic, retirees’ protests in Iran, and a special program (more than 414K views) in which experts analyzed IAEA Board of Governors’ Resolution showed high impact. Total audience engagement on digital platforms surpassed 948,800.
VOA Programming Highlights are compiled based on information available from multiple sources at the time of posting. This information constantly evolves. If you intend to cite to information posted in VOA Highlights, please consult VOA Public Relations at publicrelations@voanews.com to ensure it is accurate and current.