Media and the Public Diplomacy Landscape

What is the relationship between media, message and public diplomacy? PD News headlines this week showcased how state and non-state actors alike use media outlets to spread ideas and information to global publics. With the rise of state-sponsored television networks such as Russia Today, a “Kremlin-approved” news outlet to disseminate Russia’s message to the world, Western broadcasters are searching for new ways to “counte[r] the information torrent from often hostile foreign sources.” European leaders submitted a draft proposal to establish an “Eastern Strategic Communications ‘East StratCom' Team," which recommends that the EU invest in ‘targeted training and capacity-building of journalists and media’ in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.” Meanwhile, the BBC announced it was rolling out TV and radio services for Russia and North Korea— leading critics to believe that the news “service is connected a political agenda,” as it was targeting countries rather than languages; and in Turkey, representatives from three EU nations visited the office of Hürriyet to both support “freedom of expression and press freedom,” after the news publication was attacked by protesters twice last week. 

• BBC vs RT: Media Wars, Diplomacy and Owning the Message – The Interpreter
• Challenging Times for the BBC World Service – The Guardian
• Countering Russian Disinformation: Europe Dusts Off ‘The Mighty Wurlitzer’ – Analysis – Eurasia Review
• London Calling – The Economist
• Three Consul Generals from EU Countries Visit Daily Hürriyet after Attacks – Hurriyet Daily News
• Training MIT’s “Innovation Diplomats” – MIT News

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Photo by Trey Ratcliff | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0