Radio Free Asia Resolution
Whereas, Radio Free Asia was incorporated on March 11, 1996 and will be celebrating its 15th Anniversary in 2011; and
Whereas, Radio Free Asia broadcasts to The People's Republic of China, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Tibet and Vietnam providing accurate news, information and commentary to millions of people where full accurate and timely news reports are unavailable; and
Whereas, Radio Free Asia operates ten unique, interactive websites, nine in Asian languages with eleven scripts bringing a multimedia approach to its broadcasts; and
Whereas, Radio Free Asia has achieved, among other accomplishments, the following noteworthy achievements:
- Launched nine language services in some of the most restricted media environments in the world;
- Created a stable staff with low turnover and high job satisfaction ratings, according to a recent inspector's report and successive job surveys;
- Created eight Asian offices and a network of more than 140 dedicated stringers through Northeast and Southeast Asia;
- Trained journalists, call-in hosts, feature writers, and overseas stringers to provide accurate and timely news reports guided by the core principles of freedom of expression and opinion;
- Built strong credibility by breaking hard news stories such as the Lhasa uprising in Tibet, the Saffron Revolution in Burma, the riots in Urumqi, cyclone Nargis in Burma, as well as stories on land protests and the jailing of dissidents, lawyers, and petitioners in China and hard-to-get stories from inside Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Tibet, Xinjiang, and North Korea.
- Been repeatedly cited and recognized as a credible source for breaking news by the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, NHK Japan and numerous other U.S. and international media outlets.
- Won numerous awards for such stories from press organizations and international human rights groups as well as for investigative and environmental reporting and video coverage.
- Gave a voice to the voiceless—from dissident intellectuals to ordinary workers and farmers—in Asian countries lacking a free press;
- Served as a virtual news agency, filling major gaps in the coverage of important stories, with the decline in numbers of foreign correspondents covering Asia.
- Introduced new social media tools and distribution modes, such as podcast, RSS, and twitter feeds as well as made increasing use of video reports and input from a growing number of citizen journalists for whom RFA has established standards and guidelines.
Therefore:
Be It Resolved by the Board of Directors of Radio Free Asia that we celebrate and commemorate the 15th anniversary of Radio Free Asia and applaud the persons who have made this possible and offer appreciation to the Congress of the United States for funding
Be It Further Resolved that staff make recommendations to the Board by February 1, 2011 on ways to celebrate this significant anniversary during the year 2011.
Victor H Ashe, Chair
Michael Meehan, Vice Chair
Directors:
Walter Isaacson
Michael Lynton
Susan McCue
Dennis Mulhaupt
Dana Perino
Enders Wimbush
Judith McHale