While Russia pulls its troops back from the Ukrainian border, a second instrument of Russian power remains firmly in place: a network of Kremlin-funded media outlets that is bringing news of the Ukraine crisis to millions of people worldwide. RT, a state-owned multilingual television network that’s Russia’s answer to CNN(TWX) and Al-Jazeera, made headlines earlier this year when one of its American anchors announced her resignation on the air, saying she did not want to work for a network that “whitewashes the actions” of President Vladimir Putin.

The Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC), the country's public service broadcaster, is facing some uncomfortable choices now that its budget has been cut by 1%. (Unlike the BBC, funded by licence fee, the ABC is funded by its country's government). The government has also axed the ABC's 10-year contract to run the Asia Pacific TV service, Australia Network. The initial result is that ABC's managing director, Mark Scott, will impose redundancies. Other cutbacks are very likely.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and other international broadcasters have claimed television and radio broadcasts on the Arabsat satellites have been intentionally jammed by the Ethiopian authorities. BBC, Deutsche Welle, France 24 and the US Broadcasting Board of Directors, which oversees the Voice of America, have all been affected, and have condemned the action, which they said was a “flagrant violation” of international procedures on operating satellite equipment.

A group of U.S. lawmakers is seeking to overhaul the country's international news and programming broadcasts, saying they should be consistent with and supportive of the country's foreign policy objectives.  Royce said Wednesday the reorganization is necessary to bolster U.S. broadcasting in the face of growing competition from Russian, Chinese and other foreign international broadcasters.

As we wait with bated breath to see if Vladimir Putin’s Q&A today will cover Prince Charles’s unflattering comparison of him to a certain wartime German leader with a distinctive moustache, the Kremlin-funded news channel Russia Today has hit back by highlighting the royal family’s historical links to the Nazis.

Created for an English talk show on China Radio International, the parody explains: "There is one secret known throughout all kitchens in Great Britain." The suspense continues: "From an early age, the British are taught…", it pauses, "that small potatoes cook faster than big ones". Co-host Stuart Wiggin is seen carefully sprinkling salt on a potato, explaining that a tasty snack like this can keep British people going "literally all day long".

The best known – and, dare I say it, the most respected – example of public diplomacy broadcasting just ended. Did you notice? Don’t worry, you weren’t supposed to. You see, in April, after 75 years, the British government stopped directly funding the BBC World Service.