The nation and the world are mourning the loss of former First Lady Nancy Reagan, who died Sunday in California at the age of 94. She will be remembered most as the backstage adviser and fierce protector of Ronald Reagan. [...] As first lady, she made an impact on the public wherever she went.

In an earlier CPD blog post, Sohaela Amiri’s list of essential tools for digital diplomats concluded: “Impactful social media presence is primarily about listening.” We agree. Our recently published research, moreover, outlines some ways that the ease of search, categorization, and analysis of digital media content can be put to use to learn more about how nations are represented in online media.

Much attention has recently been directed to the measurement of media impact. In public diplomacy, the need to assess impact is readily apparent. Public diplomacy is a persuasive activity. Stakeholders want to know if the effort was able to “move the needle.” 

The closing of a news outlet that puts hundreds of people out of work is always a sad story to report. But in the case of Al Jazeera America, which announced Wednesday that it would shut down operations by April 30, the implications for the entire TV news industry, its audiences and democracy are even more depressing.

Today sees the close of the current ‘World’s Fair,’ in Milan, Italy. The six-month-long Expo Milano 2015 showcased tech innovation, especially from Italy, and while much will be written about the cost and legacy of the event, I’d like to argue that the host country made a clever use of this opportunity to show off its startups.

This was the latest in the U.S. ambassador’s activities in line with a “public diplomacy” mission and experts here claim that this is the direction that Korean diplomats should follow to help bolster the country’s diplomatic clout.