The Voice of America and the U.S. international broadcasting community as a whole could use structural reform and more money. But that’s not why they appear to be failing miserably. No. The real failure is that they lack conviction. And without that, they will continue to appear irrelevant.

North Korea has launched an estimated 1 million propaganda leaflets by balloon into South Korea amid increased tension between the rivals following the North's recent nuclear test, Seoul officials said Monday. A Cold War-style standoff flared since the North's claim on Jan. 6 that it had tested a hydrogen bomb.

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.

The Islamic State's media and propaganda division, famous for its internet presence, launched a groundbreaking new endeavor on Sunday in the form of a satellite television station broadcasting to Mosul, Iraq.

From the start, people at the Al Jazeera America cable-news network knew they faced an uphill battle for ratings and acceptance. It wasn’t just that they were taking on entrenched competitors such as CNN and Fox News with an unfamiliar, foreign brand name. Insiders knew that it would take ample distribution, lots of promotion, and audience goodwill to establish a foothold. On Wednesday, Al Jazeera America’s owners acknowledged they had achieved none of those things.