international broadcasting

[The U.N. Sustainable Development Goals are] a long list, featuring 17 goals written in the dense language of geopolitics. But how to do that when there are cross-cultural divides, language barriers, and 757 million people around the world who cannot read or write? Enter Jakob Trollbäck, graphic designer and chief creative officer of design and branding firm Trollbäck + Company.

September 24, 2015

"Who is Xi Dada?" was created by the People's Daily, often described as a "mouthpiece" of the Communist Party. The video itself is a list of compliments from doe-eyed foreign students who appear to be studying in Beijing. President Xi is described by the students as "a wise and resolute president", "super charismatic" and "not only a businessman, but also a family man".

What is the relationship between media, message and public diplomacy?

The consul generals to Istanbul of three European Union countries have staged a courtesy visit to daily Hürriyet’s editor-in-chief following the two violent attacks on the newspaper’s offices last week. Domenach said they had come to visit Hürriyet to support freedom of the press, as well as to express their good wishes to all newspapers in the country and the Turkish people. 

Worried about the increased power and reach of state-owned broadcasters such as the Kremlin-backed Russia Today, it appears the BBC hopes to stem the trend of endless rounds of funding cuts by seeking government money to create a new channel to broadcast into Russia. It's also proposing services aimed at reaching North Korea and to increase its penetration of the Arab world.

The future of the BBC World Service as a credible and independent news organisation hangs in the balance (BBC plans TV and radio services for Russia and North Korea, 5 September). It is surprising that the BBC would wish to single out particular countries, rather than languages, that it wishes to target, thereby conceding ground to its critics around the world who view the World Service as an instrument of British propaganda.

September 11, 2015

Arguing that it had a mission to uphold the values of “democracy and liberty”, the corporation said it would set up new shortwave services to broadcast into those countries with a deficit of both, namely North Korea, Eritrea, and Ethiopia. It will boost its digital presence in Russia, where it may set up a satellite-television channel, and beef up its Arabic service. 

BBC Transmitter

Gary Rawnsley has words of caution for the British international broadcaster.

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