In VOA Interviews, U.S. Lawmakers Call for Continuous Bipartisan American Support for Ukraine
In exclusive interviews with VOA ahead of the midterm elections, U.S. lawmakers offered the U.S. perspective on Russia's war in Ukraine, explaining what can be expected from the United States in terms of support for Ukraine after the midterms. Representatives Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), Andy Levin (D-MI) and David Price (D-NC) said that regardless of political affiliation, members of Congress express continuous support for Ukraine. VOA also spoke with Ukrainian Congress Committee of America President Andriy Futey on the political power of the Ukrainian diaspora in U.S. elections. He said the diaspora is very engaged and vocal, which will influence the politicians representing them in Congress. He added even though there are extreme voices on both sides, he believes the political majority supports Ukraine’s fight for independence and that after the midterms, this support will remain. Coverage was broadcast by affiliates and shared with other VOA services, garnering tens of thousands of views on digital platforms.
VOA Correspondent's Reporting from the Halloween Stampede in Seoul in High Demand from Other Media
Seoul correspondent Bill Gallo rushed to the scene of the tragic Halloween stampede, early Sunday, to shoot video and interview witnesses. His article published Sunday morning had 11,637 views on the English website, while his TV package had 329,000 views and 900 comments on YouTube and 3,276 video plays on the English website. Gallo also posted a Facebook Live showing how narrow the alley was where the people were crushed. A compilation of user-generated video of the stampede produced 410,000 views and 360 comments on YouTube. A photo gallery had 9,412 views on the English website. In addition to filing stories for the VOA News Center, Gallo appeared from the scene in several national and international media organizations' programs, including NBC Nightly News, BBC World and the PBS Newshour.
VOA Delivers Comprehensive, Up-to-Date Coverage of Ethiopia Peace Talks and the Audience Engages
In Amharic, Afan Oromo, and Tigrigna, VOA has been covering extensively Ethiopia’s peace talks in South Africa with daily stringer reporting, expert analysis, as well as vox pops from Ethiopia and diaspora communities in South Africa, Europe and the U.S. About 40 stories have been posted on digital platforms since the talks began. An Afan Oromo interview with Suleiman Dedefo, Ethiopian Ambassador to UAE and Asafa Jalata, Professor of Global and Africana Studies about their expectations for success for the talks, has generated more than 115K views and 33.4K total engagement actions on Facebook.
VOA Azerbaijani First News Outlet to Cover Country’s Pioneer Sex Education Program
VOA Azerbaijani was the first news outlet to cover the launch of a pilot sex education program in a secondary school in Baku. Therapist Shabnam Sadigova informed VOA about the topics to be covered in the instruction. “Comprehensive sex education is provided in numerous countries around the world,” Sadigova told VOA, adding that such a program helps children obtain healthy information about their bodies and how to protect them. Some parents shared their views with VOA on the launch of the program, expressing their approval. This reporting garnered 8.6K views on Facebook and 400 reactions on Facebook and Instagram.
VOA Mandarin Engages the Audience with Exclusive In-Depth Analysis of CCP’s New Leadership
VOA Mandarin’s original, comprehensive coverage of China’s 20th Communist Party Congress continued to boost traffic across all platforms. Reporting included the service’s extensive discussion with analysts about the exclusion of several prominent party figures from China’s new ruling body. This reporting garnered 572,000 views on social media. Hu Ping of the New York-based Beijing Spring journal noted they had withdrawn from the leadership core, possibly under pressure. Independent columnist Cai Shenkun said the reshuffle showed President Xi’s determination to break with leaders who espoused Deng Xiaoping’s pro-market, pro-reform policy.
VOA Persian's Reporting on the 40th Day of Mahsa Amini’s Death Engages the Audience
VOA Persian reported that tens of thousands of Iranians around the world commemorated the 40th day of Mahsa Amini and Nika Shakarami’s death. More than 35,000 Iranians marched to Amini’s grave. Protesters in London, Toronto and Los Angeles held candle-lit ceremonies. In New York City, Mehdi Aghazamani reported that Amini’s photo and the phrase “Woman, Life, Freedom” lit up a Times Square billboard. Sara Damavandan reported from Berlin that more than 80,000 people marched in solidarity. Audience engagement on all digital platforms for this programming surpassed 1,284,100.
VOA Spanish Coverage of Attacks Against Female Journalists in Mexico Picked Up by Affiliates
VOA Spanish continues its commitment to covering the rising threats to freedom of expression and the dangers reporters face in Mexico with another installment of the special bilingual project "El Mecanismo" (The Mecanism), an ongoing collaboration with Central News. A new multimedia story detailing an increase in online and personal attacks on female journalists in Mexico, after reporting on corruption, organized crime and social gender issues, also published in English, generated 119K+ social media views and has been shared by Univision Kansas City, Nicaragua Investiga and La Esquina.
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