The New International Media: Filling A Vacuum or Pushing An Agenda?

The National Press Club’s Press Freedom Committee held a panel discussion on May 2, the night before World Press Freedom Day, about the growing role of media organizations that are at least partly government-funded. As the press in most western democracies has had to retrench in recent years, cutting staffs and abandoning foreign (and domestic) bureaus, there is one bright spot for foreign coverage: Al Jazeera, CCTV and Voice of Russia Radio have vibrant bureaus in Washington and elsewhere. However, their growth has also caused considerable heartburn, because all are at least partially funded by governments not known for their respect for press freedom. The panel was moderated by Rachel Oswald, Vice Chair of the Press Freedom Committee and a staff writer with the National Journal Group.Panelists included Rosalind Jordan, State and Defense Department correspondent with Al Jazeera English – The Americas; Mike Walter, general news anchor on the nightly program Biz Asia America on CCTV-America and host of the network’s flagship weekly talk show, “The Heat;” Jamila Bey, journalist and host with Voice of Russia Radio and a former producer at National Public Radio; Rustem Safronov, U.S. Bureau Chief of the Voice of Russia America; and Max Fisher, foreign affairs blogger with the Washington Post and former international affairs editor for TheAtlantic.com.