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‘At All Costs’ – Journalist Safety No. 1 Priority: RFA President

by RFA communications

[image: image.png] Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 3, 2023 ‘At All Costs’ – Journalist Safety No. 1 Priority: RFA President WASHINGTON - Marking World Press Freedom Day, Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english> (RFA) President Bay Fang reiterated the vulnerability of front-line journalists and the shared duty to protect them amid a global rise in attacks on independent media. This year’s theme of freedom of expression as a driver of all rights speaks to RFA’s founding mission and its sustained role as a trusted news source for a weekly audience of almost 60 million in some of the world’s most repressive places. “Freedom of the press is the backbone of a free society, the open sharing of ideas and information critical to upholding the rule of law and safeguarding human rights. But today, on the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, those very liberties are under siege,” Fang said. “Authoritarian regimes increasingly harass, threaten, and detain journalists and their families in an effort to suppress the truth from their citizens and the world. “Empowering people with knowledge and facts about their communities and beyond is the goal of independent journalism. We must rise to meet this moment to ensure the safety and well being of reporters at all costs.” In RFA’s target regions, press freedom continues to decline, as malign actors in China, North Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and elsewhere, target independent media. Notably, Chinese authorities have detained and jailed family members of RFA’s Uyghur Service, while RFA journalists in Vietnam <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/radio-free-asia-condemns-sentencing-of-v…>, Cambodia <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-passport-10282022162536.…>, Myanmar, and Europe have either been imprisoned, harassed, or investigated, or have endured transnational repression <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/harassment-03202023133743.html>. Many of these journalists are highlighted in a special series and feature page, launched today on RFA’s website <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/asia/world-press-freedom-day-0502202311493…> and its social media <https://www.instagram.com/radiofreeasia/?hl=en> platforms. Despite the challenges they face, RFA’s reporters produced some of its most impactful work over the past year. Most notably, RFA’s Chinese services’ timely coverage of the historic “White Paper” protests in China led to record-breaking engagement on social media, as audiences distrustful of state narratives turned to RFA for information. Their timely coverage of the protests was also lauded <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/12/04/china-protests-xi-covid-…> by The Washington Post editorial board. Additionally, RFA Myanmar’s in-depth investigation into a cache of gruesome photos and videos on a junta soldier’s lost cell phone <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/special/myanmar-soldier-atrocities/index.h…>, served as the first piece of hard evidence of the Myanmar military’s brutality and war crimes in the Sagaing region. Other highlights include RFA Khmer’s investigation into a Chinese detainee-turned Cambodian diplomat’s hidden stake <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-wang-yaohui-052020221725…> in a major English soccer club, and RFA Vietnamese’s extensive coverage of a major price-gouging scandal <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/expel-06062022162936.html> involving Covid-19 tests that toppled several senior officials in the country. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 8 months

RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT a first-place winner at Human Rights Press Awards

by RFA communications

[image: image.png] Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2023 RFA digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT a first-place winner at Human Rights Press Awards WASHINGTON - Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) online brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT was today named a first-place winner at this year’s Human Rights Press Awards <https://humanrightspressawards.org/> for its mini-documentary, Surviving Online Abuse <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-watches/online-abuse-documentary-en>. The project, which follows four survivors of online abuse who reflect on their psychological trauma, won in the Documentary Chinese category of the Human Rights Watch and Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications-sponsored competition, which was previously based in Hong Kong. “On the eve of World Press Freedom Day, it is fitting that RFA’s digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT was named a winner at this year’s Human Rights Press Awards,” RFA Executive Editor Min Mitchell said. “Their eye-opening documentary on cyberbullying on the Chinese internet reveals underreported truths about Chinese repression and speaks to the exact principles RFA - and World Press Freedom Day - stand for. We couldn’t be prouder of their incredible work.” 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s winning documentary is part of a broader project The Chinese Internet’s Hidden Victims: Uncovering and Healing the Scars of Online Abuse <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/uncovering-and-healing-the-scars-of-onli…>, which investigates the Chinese cyber space, and the abuse many social media users experience. Despite filters and controls, research showed how cyberbullying persists and is encouraged by authorities on state-controlled platforms like WeChat, Douyin, and Weibo. For this investigation, 歪脑 | WHYNOT conducted an online survey in February 2022, collecting and examining data from over 2000 respondents from 220 cities in mainland China. Through interviews with witnesses, survivors, former abusers, scholars and researchers, 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s findings revealed damning statistics about the extent of online abuse and the psychological trauma victims experience. Formerly sponsored by the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong, the Human Rights Press Awards resumed this year for the first time since 2020, after being suspended amid a severe crackdown on independent media in Hong Kong. The awards recognize outstanding reporting on human rights issues in Asia, with the goal of increasing respect for people’s basic rights and raising awareness of the threats imposed on those freedoms. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 8 months

RFA a Five-Time Winner at 2023 New York Festivals

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 19, 2023 RFA a Five-Time Winner at 2023 New York Festivals <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-a-five-time-winner-at-2023-new-york-…> Mandarin and Korean Services, and 歪脑 | WHYNOT Net Top Honors WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) Mandarin and Korean Services, as well its online global Mandarin brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT, took home five awards at last night’s New York Festivals <https://www.newyorkfestivals.com/> Storytelling Gala. RFA’s Mandarin Service and 歪脑 | WHYNOT each received two medals, with RFA’s Korean Service winning one. The recognized projects examine topics such as the trauma women endure under China’s “one-child” policy, the challenges Chinese adopted children face, the physical and emotional scars of Korean War POWs, and the work of Chinese political cartoonists amid the CCP’s crackdown on dissent, among other issues. “Congratulations to the fantastic teams of RFA Mandarin, RFA Korean and 歪脑 | WHYNOT,” RFA President Bay Fang said. "Their determined journalism delves into such complex, human issues as the toll of China's birth restrictions and the legacy of the Korean War, as well as spotlighting creative political expression amid censorship. “These winning projects exemplify RFA’s greater mission of bringing answers, empowerment, and accountability to people living in repressive places.” Details on the RFA winners follows: - RFA Mandarin’s silver medal-winning project The CCP Owns Your Womb - Tragedies of China’s Birth Control Policy <https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/ytbdzhuantixilie/jisheng> documents the brutal violence <https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/women-trafficking-03082022070912.html> and rights violations against women amid China’s birth quotas. Its bronze medal-winning mini-documentary Seeking Love: The Story of Chinese Adoptees in the US <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnAhnQvDo84&t=171s> follows two college students who had been adopted as children by American parents, and their struggle grappling with their identity. - RFA’s digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT’s silver medal-winning video Two Years of WHYNOT <https://youtu.be/s4itoKXg46A> is a stop-motion promo that celebrates the brand’s second anniversary. Its bronze-winning video series Art behind the wall <https://www.wainao.me/wainao-watches/series/129/Art-Behind-the-Wall%20%20/2> introduces Chinese political cartoonists, exploring their work and inspiration. - RFA Korean’s bronze-winning report Tattooed: Indelible Scar of Prisoners of War <https://www.rfa.org/korean/news_indepth/koreanwarspecial-11222022122437.html> - a joint project with RFA Mandarin - unites the stories of five POWs from the U.S., South Korea, and China, who reflect on their painful memories of the Korean War amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In addition, four other projects from RFA’s Mandarin and Korean Services and 歪脑 | WHYNOT were listed as finalists. Other winners at this year’s competition include The Washington Post, NPR, BBC, and ABC News. The New York Festival TV & Film and Radio awards is a yearly competition honoring work from over 50 countries that mirrors today’s global trends. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 9 months

RFA Welcomes Deborah Chamberlin as Chief People Officer

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 17, 2023 RFA Welcomes Deborah Chamberlin as Chief People Officer <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-welcomes-deborah-chamberlin-as-chief…> WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today named Deborah Chamberlin as its Chief People Officer (CPO). Chamberlin brings more than 20 years of human resources and recruitment experience at global nonprofits and in the private sector. “Debbie is an exceptional individual whose substantial experience strengthening workforces at top international nonprofits will be crucial to RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “She will help our organization to continue attracting the talent needed to drive us forward as a world-class media organization on which millions worldwide depend for timely and accurate news.” “I’m delighted to be joining RFA as its Chief People Officer during this historic period of growth for the company,” Chamberlin said. “RFA’s journalists and staff provide its audiences with vital information through its ever-important brand of journalism. It’s an honor to help lead the effort to build up RFA’s incredible team and boost its global impact.” Serving on RFA’s senior management team, Chamberlin will oversee the organization’s Human Resources department, managing staffing, employee relations and talent acquisition. Prior to joining RFA, Chamberlin served as Director of Talent Acquisition at FHI 360 where she managed a team responsible for full cycle recruiting for over 500 US-based and international positions annually. Among other previous roles, Chamberlin held senior-level positions at international nonprofits including SRI Executive Search & Strategy, Management Sciences for Health and Development Alternatives, Inc. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in International Studies at the University of Washington. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 9 months

RFA Condemns Sentencing of Vietnamese Blogger Nguyen Lan Thang

by Rohit Mahajan

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 12, 2023 Radio Free Asia Condemns Sentencing of Vietnamese Blogger Nguyen Lan Thang WASHINGTON— A Hanoi court today sentenced prominent political activist and long-time RFA contributing blogger Nguyen Lan Thang <http://rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/activist-propaganda-case-04112023165002…> to six years in prison on charges of spreading “anti-state propaganda.” He is among four jailed RFA contributors in Vietnam, Nguyen Tuong Thuy, Truong Duy Nhat and Nguyen Van Hoa. RFA President Bay Fang issued the following statement: “Today’s conviction of Nguyen Lan Thang is both a miscarriage of justice and an assault on free expression in Vietnam. The outrageous harassment he has endured and his sentencing to six years in prison demonstrate the extent to which Vietnamese authorities will go to silence independent journalists and voices. “Nguyen Lan Thang shared his perspectives and opinions online with a sense of responsibility and duty, but never with malice or disrespect. Nevertheless he is among four RFA contributors in Vietnam who have been ensnared by the government in an effort to censor and purge. Radio Free Asia calls for the immediate release of Nguyen Lan Thang and for all charges against him to be dropped.” # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media. -- *Rohit Mahajan* *Chief Communications Officer* *Radio Free Asia*

1 year, 9 months

RFA Mandarin Wins Gracie Award for Human Trafficking Series

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 30, 2023 RFA Mandarin Wins Gracie Award for Human Trafficking Series <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-mandarin-wins-gracie-award-for-human…> WASHINGTON—Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english>’s (RFA) Mandarin Service was today named among the winners at this year’s Gracie Awards <https://allwomeninmedia.org/gracies/> for its four-part series, Abduction and Trafficking of Women in China: A True Story and Analysis <https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/ytbdzhuantixilie/beiguai>. The project, a collaboration between two of RFA Mandarin’s veteran journalists, won in the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation-sponsored contest’s category for best non-English programs. “Full credit for this achievement goes to the fantastic team at RFA’s Mandarin Service, which continues to produce thought-provoking and impactful stories,” said RFA President Bay Fang. “They have the critical and increasingly difficult job of spotlighting sensitive topics for our Chinese audiences like this that are either suppressed or underreported by state-controlled media. “RFA’s exposé on the trafficking of women in China is a testament to our journalists’ persistence.” In the first two parts of the winning project, which debuted in March 2022, RFA Mandarin reporter Jane Tang interviews Dong Ru, a woman who was abducted and sold to a family in a rural province in China. The third installment follows her son, who details the psychological trauma he developed growing up in an abducted family, and how he helped his mother escape the painful marriage she was sold into. In the fourth and final episode, RFA Mandarin journalist Wang Yun provides a comprehensive analysis of the ongoing human trafficking crisis in China. Other winners at this year’s competition include The Washington Post, NPR, CBS, and VICE Media. They will be honored at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala in Los Angeles on May 23. Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) is a non-profit that creates educational programs and scholarship initiatives to benefit the public and women in the media. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 9 months

RFA Names News Standards Editor and Investigative Team Director

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 27, 2023 RFA Names News Standards Editor and Investigative Team Director <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-names-news-standards-editor-and-inve…> WASHINGTON — Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> named Steve Springer as its News Standards & Best Practices Editor and Boer Deng as Director of RFA’s new Investigative Team — two newly created roles. “Steve and Boer both bring a wealth of exceptional newsroom experience that will benefit RFA immensely in these new roles,” Min Mitchell, RFA’s Executive Editor, said. “As RFA’s News Standards & Best Practices Editor, Steve - who has devoted a lifetime to journalistic excellence - will work closely with our language services to ensure the quality and credibility of RFA’s reporting. “Leading RFA’s new Investigative Team, Boer will oversee the production of in-depth reporting in tandem with our language services that will bring to light consequential developments affecting our audiences.” Springer and Deng join RFA amid an ongoing editorial and operational expansion, offering unique journalistic skill sets honed from experience working at top-tier outlets. As News Standards & Best Practices Editor, Springer will provide senior-level advice and day-to-day guidance to RFA’s and RFA digital brand BenarNews’ journalists to further enhance the organization’s journalistic quality and standards. Most recently Springer served as the first Standards Editor at RFA sister network VOA. During his tenure in this role, which began in 2010, he established a Best Practices Guide that is regularly updated and distributed to all VOA staff. Prior to that he was VOA’s Managing Editor of its News Center, where he led an effort to reorganize its operations. Before joining VOA, Steve worked in a variety of roles for CNN, where he and other CNN staff received a Peabody Award for their coverage of Hurricane Katrina. He was also cited by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) for CNN’s coverage of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As Director of RFA’s newly-formed Investigative Team, Deng will oversee a team of journalists, producers and content specialists, which will produce in-depth investigative stories in English and RFA’s nine target languages. She most recently worked for BBC News in Washington as North America commissioning editor for digital, overseeing the production of features and news and helping to grow the BBC’s reach and reputation as a trusted media source across the continent. Prior to that she was Washington correspondent for The Times of London for five years. She has also written for The Economist and Nature magazine. RFA continues to build out its existing operations and language services, while standing up new initiatives, such as the Investigative Team, and overhauling its technical infrastructure to meet challenges. These efforts underway include hiring for newly created positions within its Uyghur Service and its global Mandarin digital brand 歪脑 | WHYNOT, expanding RFA’s Taipei bureau, launching a fact-checking unit to track and counter manipulated false narratives, and increasing its reporting capacity in the broader Asia-Pacific region. These initiatives and enhancement efforts will advance RFA’s mission of bringing answers, accountability, and empowerment to audiences living in oppressive places and regions vulnerable to malign media influence. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

1 year, 10 months

RFA Names Ginny Stein as Southeast Asia Managing Editor

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 5, 2022 RFA Names Ginny Stein as Southeast Asia Managing Editor <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-names-ginny-stein-as-southeast-asia-…> WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english/> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today named Ginny Stein as its new Southeast Asia Managing Editor. Stein brings more than two decades of experience in journalism, working as a foreign correspondent and broadcaster across radio, TV and digital platforms, as well as managing overseas media operations. She replaces Mat Pennington, who is now serving as RFA’s Senior Managing Editor. “Ginny is a superb newsroom leader, whose extensive experience both as a journalist and strategic planner will be invaluable to RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “As we work to meet the immense challenges facing audiences in authoritarian areas in Southeast Asia, Ginny is the perfect fit to help drive our coverage in the region forward.” “I’m excited to be joining RFA during this historic period of growth for the organization,” Stein said. “I have tremendous respect for RFA’s mission of bringing timely news to audiences who would otherwise be left in the dark. That mission is as crucial as ever in Southeast Asia and I am honored to have this opportunity to boost RFA’s impact in the region.” Stein will oversee RFA’s coverage of its Southeast Asia programming. She will manage the daily operations and long-term plans for RFA’s Burmese, Khmer, Lao and Vietnamese services. Prior to joining RFA, Stein worked for two decades as a multimedia journalist, filling a number of roles including foreign correspondent and camerawoman for Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), where she was appointed the public broadcaster’s first female Southeast Asia correspondent to Bangkok. During her tenure as a journalist, Stein produced stories in Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and the Pacific. She is a three-time winner of Australia’s highest journalist award for stories she filmed in Myanmar, Rwanda and Zimbabwe. In addition, Stein previously served as Director at Blue Sky Vision Vanuatu, where she developed strategic communications plans and international reporting and content production for a wide range of news organizations including the Guardian, ITV UK, Al Jazeera, SBS Australia TV and RFA sister network Voice of America. Stein earned her Master’s Degree in Disaster Resilience and Sustainable Development from the University of Newcastle in Australia and her Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 1 month

Washington Post editorial spotlights jailed RFA journalists

by Rohit Mahajan

ICYMI *The Washington Post* brings attention to *four Radio Free Asia contributors behind bars in Vietnam *in today's opinion pages. These contributors are among the persecuted in the one-party state's crackdown on free speech and a free press. Calling for their immediate and unconditional release, *RFA President Bay Fang tweeted about them last week* - as member countries, including Vietnam, gathered for the ASEAN Summit (link *HERE <https://twitter.com/bayfang/status/1591071418263175169?s=20&t=BFk7kkyDRYH--…>*) in Phnom Penh. Read the *Post*'s full editorial here ... https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/11/17/vietnam-journalists-face… Kind regards, Rohit -- *Rohit Mahajan* *Chief Communications Officer* *Radio Free Asia*

2 years, 1 month

RFA Welcomes Gijsbrecht de Leede as new CFO ‘at an historic time’

by RFA communications

Contact: Rohit Mahajan | mahajanr(a)rfa.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 10/11/22 RFA Welcomes Gijsbrecht de Leede as new CFO ‘at an historic time’ <https://www.rfa.org/about/releases/rfa-welcomes-gijsbrecht-de-leede-as-new-…> WASHINGTON – Radio Free Asia <https://www.rfa.org/english> (RFA), a nonprofit news corporation that brings answers, accountability, and empowerment to populations in Asian countries under authoritarian rule, today announced Gijsbrecht de Leede as its new Chief Financial Officer. De Leede brings almost two decades of experience overseeing and managing financial departments of multi-million dollar nonprofits and media corporations. De Leede will replace Patrick Taylor Jr., RFA’s founding CFO, who will retire in January 2023 after serving RFA since its incorporation in March 1996. “Gijs is a proven leader whose experience managing the finances at mission-driven nonprofits and growing media companies will greatly benefit RFA,” RFA President Bay Fang said. “He joins RFA at an historic time of growth for the company, as we put plans in place to meet the immense, present-day challenges facing free speech and free press globally and in Asia. As chief financial officer, Gijs will be an essential partner in driving the structural changes and operational expansion crucial to RFA’s future. “Also, on behalf of all of us at RFA, I must extend our heartfelt thanks to Patrick Taylor for his incredible service to RFA from its very beginning. As a founder and a steward of RFA’s finances, Patrick has been integral to RFA’s lasting success. We wish him all the best in his retirement.” “I am thrilled to be RFA’s new chief financial officer during such an exciting time for the company,” de Leede said. “RFA lifts up millions in Asia and around the world through its incisive brand of journalism. I embrace this opportunity to be part of a grand effort to maximize the impact of RFA’s amazing journalists.” At RFA, de Leede will manage the overall financial affairs of the organization in addition to serving as the Treasurer to RFA’s Board of Directors. He will also play a key role in RFA’s expansion, which was made possible through a late-year budget increase from Congress. These plans, already underway, include launching an investigative unit to expose malfeasance and ensure accountability in Asia, creating a fact-checking unit to counter authoritarian disinformation, enhancing RFA’s China services and global Mandarin brand, and expanding coverage in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as upgrading technical infrastructure. Prior to joining RFA, de Leede was the CFO of Children’s Defense Fund, where he oversaw the finance department for a $45+ million revenue. Prior to that, from July 2013 to August 2014, he worked as a Controller at Experience Works Inc., where he managed a $100 million U.S. Department of Labor Senior Community Service Employment Program. Among other roles, he has also held senior financial positions at Atlantic Media and National Geographic Society. He earned his CPA in the state of Maryland and his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. # # # 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 United States Agency for Global Media.

2 years, 3 months

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