Acting VOA Director Yolanda López’ statement on Russian blocking of VOA Russian website
March 4, 2022
The recent threat by the Russian media regulator Roskomnadzor to block VOA and other independent media outlets now is a reality for many in our audience there.
Our viewers and listeners in Russia deserve access to our factual news content at this critical time, not only about the ongoing war in Ukraine but also about all vital global events that impact their lives and actions.
VOA will continue to promote and support tools and resources that will allow our audiences to bypass any blocking efforts imposed on our sites in Russia. Our journalists will continue their reporting, an example of free press in action.
About VOA
Voice of America reaches a global weekly audience of more than 311.8 million people in 47 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video and more than 2,350 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.
VOA statement on Turkish media regulator’s ‘Internet broadcasting license’
February 22, 2022
Washington, D.C. — On Monday, February 21, Turkish media regulator RTUK posted an official notice thatthe VOA Turkish language website would be blocked in 72 hours if VOA does not begin the process of applying for an “Internet broadcasting license.”
Many media organizations within and outside of Turkey have expressed significant concern that this licensing requirement is designed to enable censorship of unfavorable press coverage.
Licensing is the norm for radio and TV broadcasting, because the broadcast spectrum is a finite public resource, and governments have a recognized responsibility to regulate the spectrum to ensure it is used in the broader public’s interest. The internet, by contrast, is not a limited resource, and the only possible purpose of a licensing requirement for internet distribution is enabling censorship.
VOA is a public service international broadcaster, VOA is legally required to provide “accurate, objective, and comprehensive” news coverage to audiences in all of the countries it serves. Accordingly, VOA’s Charter prevents VOA from agreeing to or allowing its coverage to be censored in any way. Our editorial decisions are required to be governed at all times by the highest professional standards of journalism. So VOA could not comply with directives from a regulator to censor or remove content; nor then could VOA willingly agree to subject itself to such censorship.
“The threat to block the websites of the Voice of America, Deutsche Welle, or any other independent, public service, professional news service in Turkey is worrisome,” said Acting VOA Director Yolanda López. “Voice of America’s independent journalism cannot be subject to this or any government’s control which results either in censorship or even the perception of it.”
Accordingly, absent an alternative, VOA believes that it will be obliged to file an objection with Turkish regulators to the request to apply for a license.
About VOA
Voice of America reaches a global weekly audience of more than 311.8 million people in 47 languages. VOA programs are delivered on satellite, cable, shortwave, FM, medium wave, streaming audio and video and more than 2,350 media outlets worldwide. It is funded by the U.S. Congress through USAGM.
Bad Bunny equal to or better than The Beatles? Without a doubt, the Puerto Rican has become one of the most famous urban music artists in the world, just remember that at the beginning of 2022 he was named the most played artist on streaming platforms.
From his way of singing, his outfits that break social stereotypes and his attractiveness, Bad Bunny has made history in the music industry; so much so that the ticket office of his concerts is sold out in a matter of hours and he has to open new dates to please his followers.
However, there is still some suspicion about his style of music and it is inevitable to compare it with other genres such as rock. That is why certain statements generate controversy.
Photo: Instagram – @badbunnypr
One of these was to say that Bad Bunny is the equivalent of The Beatles for the new generations. An article that went viral on the Internet made an opinion in which he argued that at the time the English band also received rejection and was a phenomenon because of the music they made. Just like how it happens now with ‘The bad rabbit’.
They even remembered when John Lennon claimed that The Beatles were more famous than Jesus Christ.
But this statement was not to everyone’s taste on social networks and a debate was generated about who is better, to the point of saying that people who listen to Bad Bunny are uneducated and those who prefer The Beatles are not.
Others defend the music of the urban artist and assure that tastes do not define the intelligence of a person and that times have simply changed and with it what goes viral.
It may interest you: The garments have no gender: Bad Bunny posed in a dress and heels to be the image of Jacquemus
These are some of the comments about Bad Bunny and The Beatles:
Karol G better than Freddie Mercury?
But this is not the first time that a comparison of these generates controversy. A few years ago Karol G’s fans said that she was better than Freddie Mercury, a situation that lit up the entire internet.
Although many Internet users took the comparison between them as nonsense, others agreed that the Colombian is a better artist than the Queen vocalist.
Although it seems like another debate without a solution, what can be assured is that just as English transformed music in the 70s and 80s, Karol G and Bad Bunny are doing it today.
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