U.S. Agency for Global Media sets audience record

NEWS AND OPINION:

A round of applause for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that counts Voice of America and Radio Free Europe among its six significant media entities. Those networks reached a record weekly audience of 410 million people in 2022 — and they are mission-minded.

“Chief among the agency’s concerns are the information manipulation and media suppression tactics emanating from authoritarian governments in China, Russia, Iran, and others, who strive to undermine American values and incite political, economic, and humanitarian crises around the world,” the agency said in a statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

In the pocketbook department, the agency will receive $944 million this year “to fund critical international broadcasting efforts.”

That push includes Current Time, a 24/7 Russian-language television and digital network that was launched in 2017 to provide news, public debate and fact-based reporting on local, regional and international issues for audiences in Russia and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe.

The network is produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in collaboration with Voice of America. It is also amazingly popular.

“Since the war began in February 2022, Current Time’s online videos have been viewed an unprecedented 4 billion times,” the agency noted.

Yes, that was billion — not million.

“In the months following Russia’s invasion, Current Time signed over 50 new media partners in countries like Estonia, Lithuania, and Moldova — just as media outlets in those countries were dropping Russia’s RT. Current Time television content is also complemented by a robust and popular digital component that engages and connects with global audiences via social media and other platforms,” said the agency — found at Usagm.gov.

Voice of America can be found at Voanews.com.

HAVING A SAY

Public protests and demonstrations of the 1960s variety have not lost their appeal these days.

“A wide range of anti-war organizations are uniting for a powerful weekend of action anchored by a demonstration outside the White House,” advises the ANSWER Coalition, a group founded in 2001 to oppose the then-impending Iraq War.

The group plans to mark the 20th anniversary of that conflict on Saturday and has centered its activities, according to a press release, on three themes: “Peace in Ukraine,” “Say No to Endless U.S. Wars” and “Fund People’s Needs, Not the War Machine.”

The press release also advised that similar demonstrations will be staged in a dozen other U.S. cities.

“We are at a global crisis point that continues to grow the longer the war in Ukraine continues. That is what is compelling people from across the country to travel to D.C. or attend a rally close to them,” the host group explains, also noting that Code Pink, the People’s Forum and the Black Alliance for Peace are co-sponsoring the event.

The lengthy list of participants goes on, though. Other participating organizations include the Green Party, Veterans for Peace, Students for a Democratic Society, the Socialist Party of America, Environmentalists Against War, Radical Elders, BanKillerDrones.org, and Peace, Land and Bread.

GROWING REAGAN OUTREACH

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute has a new leader.

David V. Trulio will become president and CEO of this influential and energetic organization on April 3, according to Frederick J. Ryan Jr., chairman of the board of trustees of the nonprofit group in Simi Valley, California.

“Ronald Reagan is the greatest president of the 20th century. Especially in challenging times, one cannot overstate the importance to America — and the world — of securing and advancing Ronald Reagan’s legacy, his timeless principles, and his elevating leadership example,” Mr. Trulio said in a written statement.

He’ll oversee a domain that includes the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum; the Reagan Center for Public Affairs; the Presidential Learning Center; The Air Force One Pavilion; Discovery Center; and the Reagan Institute, which carries out the foundation’s mission in Washington.

“Mr. Trulio will be charged with driving a dynamic expansion of the Reagan Foundation and Institute’s digital offerings, revenue streams, and brand. Most recently, Mr. Trulio was managing editor, head of strategy and editorial operations, at Fox News Digital — a news, analysis, and opinion platform operating FoxNews.com and FoxBusiness.com. In 2022, Fox News Digital averaged 82.7 million monthly multiplatform unique visitors, was the top-performing news brand with multi-platform views, and was the most engaged news brand on social media,” the foundation noted in a statement.

Mr. Trulio will succeed John Heubusch, who is retiring following a tenure dating back to 2009. The organization, meanwhile, appears ready to go global.            

“The Reagan Foundation and Institute is an essential resource not just for Americans, but for people around the world who want to learn from one of the greatest leaders of the last century,” Mr. Ryan said.

Find more information at Reaganfoundation.org.

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POLL DU JOUR

• 67% of U.S. adults are “extremely or very concerned” that misinformation poses a “direct threat” to the U.S.

• 61% are extremely or very concerned that China’s influence around the world poses a direct threat to the U.S.

• 61% are concerned that cyberattacks pose a direct threat to the U.S.

• 53% are concerned that Russia’s influence around the world poses a direct threat.

• 51% are concerned that North Korea’s nuclear program poses a direct threat.

• 50% are concerned that the spread of infectious diseases poses a direct threat.

• 47% are concerned that Iran’s nuclear program poses a direct threat.

• 41% are concerned that illegal immigration poses a direct threat.

SOURCE: An Associated Press/NORC poll of 1,247 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 16-20 and released March 7.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.