The Broadcasting Board of Governors, overseers of Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, has not surprisingly taken an interest in the protests in North Africa and the Middle East.
Especially interesting to them is the role of new forms of media being used by the protestors to organize and make their case to the authorities and the world. It’s but the latest example of how media habits and public reaction are evolving.
On Feb. 15, the BBG will host a three-part conference in Washington, “The New Media Revolution and U.S. Global Engagement.” Speakers will include BBG Chairman Walter Isaacson, board governors, VOA and RFE/RL personnel and NGO members and academics.
The scheduled talks include “Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting in the New Media Era,” “Censorship, Signal Blocking and Cyberjamming: Can the U.S. Keep Up?” and “North Korea, Iran and Cuba: Bringing Accurate Information to Closed Societies.”
The conference will be held on Capitol Hill starting at 9 a.m. Seating is by invitation.
