FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Sept. 29, 2011
Contact: Rohit Mahajan 202 530 4976 mahajanr(a)rfa.org
<mailto:mahajanr@rfa.org>
Radio Free Asia Commemorates 15 Years of 'Bringing Free Press to Closed
Societies'
WASHINGTON, DC - Radio Free Asia (RFA) today commemorated the 15th
anniversary of its first broadcast
<http://www.rfa15.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/First-broadcast-in-pdf.
pdf> on this date in 1996. RFA President Libby Liu stressed RFA's
critical role of "bringing free press to closed societies" through its
nine language services that provide accurate, objective news and
information for people living in six Asian countries that restrict free
speech and media freedoms.
"Since our first broadcast 15 years ago, Radio Free Asia has risen from
a small band of broadcasters to become an award-winning global media
organization operating in some of the world's most challenging media
environments," Liu said. "Built on a rock-solid foundation of objective
journalism, RFA prides itself on bringing free press to closed societies
through our dedicated, professional team of reporters."
Michael Meehan, the chair of RFA's corporate board and a member of the
Broadcasting Board of Governors, added, "RFA's mission is more important
than ever in this age of revolutionary communication changes that drive
the global hunger for trustworthy, timely news and information.
Audiences in Asia consistently turn to RFA as a credible news source and
to express opinions and ideas without fear on the airwaves and online."
RFA's many highlights over the years include interviewing high-ranking
North Korean defectors, breaking the news to the world about the Tibetan
uprising in March 2008, launching the first weekly listener Q&A program
with Burmese democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi after her release from
house arrest last year, obtaining exclusive interviews from Chinese
artist Ai Weiwei about his recent imprisonment, covering the landmark
Khmer Rouge trial, and first reporting the incident that led to the
Uyghur ethnic unrest in China's Xinjiang region in the summer of 2009.
In addition to providing exclusives, RFA hosts call-in shows and
discussions with experts on technology, health, human rights, and
politics. This engages audiences on interesting, timely issues and
perspectives to which they would otherwise have little, if any, access.
Over the years, this multifaceted programming has earned numerous
prestigious awards <http://www.rfa15.org/awards/> for RFA's Mandarin,
Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Burmese, Korean, Lao, Cambodian, and
Vietnamese language services, as well as RFA's online multimedia team.
These include multiple Edward R. Murrow and Gracie Allen awards, in
addition to top prizes from respected organizations such as Amnesty
International, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the Society of
Environmental Journalists, and the International Women's Foundation,
among others. In 2009, New York Festivals Radio Program and Promotion
Awards, in an international competition, declared RFA "Broadcaster of
the Year
<http://www.rfa.org/english/awards/festivals-07072009145031.html> " and
bestowed seven medals to its broadcasters and services.
Accolades have also come from opinion leaders in Asia, including the
Dalai Lama
<http://www.rfa.org/english/about/releases/dalai-lama-2011-visit.pdf>
(who recently visited RFA's Washington headquarters), Aung San Suu Kyi
<http://www.rfa15.org/> , and Uyghur exile leader Rebiya Kadeer, among
many others. Earlier this year, RFA launched its multimedia 15th
anniversary website <http://www.rfa15.org/> , which provides the
behind-the-scenes story of its origins to the present (including the
audio
<http://www.rfa15.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mandarindebut.mp3> of
its maiden broadcast by RFA's Mandarin service).
"We at RFA are encouraged by the high praise and awards won since we
began. But there is no greater validation of our work's importance than
the trust earned daily from our growing audiences," Liu said.
# # #
Radio Free Asia is a private, nonprofit corporation broadcasting and
publishing online news, information, and commentary in nine East Asian
languages to listeners who do not have access to full and free news
media. RFA's broadcasts seek to promote the rights of freedom of
opinion and expression, including the freedom to "seek, receive, and
impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of
frontiers." RFA is funded by an annual grant from the Broadcasting Board
of Governors.
Rohit Mahajan
Media Relations Manager
Radio Free Asia
Email: mahajanr(a)rfa.org
Desk: (202) 530-4976
Cell: (202) 489-8021
www.rfa.org
