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Broadcasting to Hotspots: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Today

A Director's Forum with The Hon. Thomas A. Dine, president, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Date & Time

Thursday
May. 6, 2004
3:00pm – 4:00pm ET

Overview

In this Director's Forum, Thomas A. Dine, president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), addressed what he considers are two common misconceptions: that Europe is free and that RFE/RL focuses solely on Europe. Dine explained that far from a Cold War relic, RFE/RL is very much relevant today and that much is at stake for the United States.

RFE/RL broadcasts to 19 countries in 28 languages, none of which is English. Nineteen of the 28 language services are directed at majority-Muslim populations and RFE/RL maintains bureaus in each of the 19 countries but Iran and Turkmenistan. The mission of RFE/RL, unlike that of Voice of America, is to broadcast news and information about the individual countries, not about the United States—unless the news from Washington involves one or more of the countries. RFE/RL is also prominent on the Internet—nearly all of the broadcast services operate local-language websites, and the main website averages about 6 million page views a month. RFE/RL is also on television in a handful of countries.

Dine gave a synopsis of the political situations in the broadcast countries, painting a bleak picture, far from "free." RFE/RL divides its European countries into two groups: the former Yugoslavia and the former Soviet Union. According to Dine, "The former Yugoslavia is politically and economically crippled; the odds of further ethnic bloodshed are high; corruption is pervasive; and the emergence of a free press has been stunted."

RFE/RL plays a critical role in the Balkans, Dine said, as it is the only local-language media outlet that speaks to, and for, all the ethnic groups; the rest of the media have come to serve as inflammatory voices of intolerance. Dine proudly pointed out that the ratings in the former Yugoslavia are consistently among the highest in the entire broadcast portfolio. The former Soviet Union is no better off, where corruption is rampant and most of the governments have succumbed to oligarchy.

It is no surprise that many of these nations are not fond of RFE/RL's presence, Dine said. This year in Belarus, for example, the Minsk bureau was burglarized, threatened with eviction, and visited by the tax police. The Committee to Protect Journalists recently named Russia one of the ten worst places in the world to be a journalist, citing President Putin's use of sham lawsuits and corporate maneuvers to virtually eliminate independent media. Dine described how Putin continues to go to great lengths to obstruct coverage of the war in Chechnya, citing an incident where one of his reporters was kidnapped in Chechnya by Russian FSB, disappeared for over 5 weeks, and was finally dumped out of the trunk of a car in Mahashkala, Dagestan one cold February day.

Dine pointed out that not only is Europe not free, but something very important is at stake in this region. He lamented that while the U.S. is pushing for democracy in the Middle East, "we are neglecting to finish the job much closer to home, in Eastern Europe. We suffer from a sort of "political attention deficit disorder"; we pay attention whenever missiles are launched, but once the bombs stop falling, we stop watching."

Addressing the second misconception that RFE/RL broadcasts only to Europe, Dine pointed out that about half of the broadcasting countries are in Asia. On a more hopeful note, Dine described his broadcasts in Iran and Afghanistan where the response has been overwhelming with more than 20% of Iranians between the ages of 18 and 29 listening at least once a week and in Kabul, 54% listen weekly.

In Central Asia, government censorship and intimidation is so pervasive that many of the RFE/RL reporters must work anonymously, using pseudonyms. Despite this safety measure, several reporters have been abducted, beaten, and jailed. "That these brave men and women are willing to risk their lives so that their compatriots can at least hear a little bit of truth every day never fails to move me. They are true heroes," Dine said.

As for future plans, RFE/RL plans to redouble its efforts in Central Asia, a region that Dine believes could be the next front in the global war on terror. Despite proposed budget cuts, Dine is determined to carry on with RFE/RL's efforts to bring forth the free flow of information, human rights, freedom and democracy to the world's hotspots.

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