Virtual PD Monitoring Forum: Preparing Public Diplomacy for 21st Century Challenges: The ACPD Shot List

March 12, 2021

Discussion featuring Vivian Walker, Executive Director and Shawn Baxter, Senior Advisor of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy at the Department of State.

This meeting was presented by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Geoffrey Cowan, Director and Adam Powell III, Director of Washington Programs.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Virtual PD Monitoring Forum: Simon Anholt on Nation Branding

February 16, 2021

Discussion featuring Simon Anholt, creator of the Good Country Index.

This meeting was presented by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Geoffrey Cowan, Director and Adam Powell III, Director of Washington Programs.

To watch the recording, please click here.

To read his recent interview with USC Center on Public Diplomacy, please click here.

How President-Elect Biden Is Viewed from Abroad

January 19, 2021

On the eve of the Presidential Inauguration, Richard Wike, Director of Global Attitudes Research at the Pew Research Center, discussed new polling data released on January 19 on international attitudes towards President-elect Biden.

This meeting was presented by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Geoffrey Cowan, Director and Adam Powell III, Director of Washington Programs.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Virtual PD Monitoring Forum: How the US election is explained to the world

December 15, 2020

• Jeff Ballou, News Editor of the Americas at Al Jazeera Media Network
• Jacqueline Charles, Carribbean/Haiti Correspondent, Miami Herald
• Vasily Gatov, Russian media researcher and author
• Anton Harber, co-founder of South Africa’s anti-apartheid Weekly Mail newspaper, now Caxton Professor of Journalism at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
• Insun Kang, Deputy Managing Editor, The Chosun Ilbo, and former Washington bureau chief, Chosun Media
• Anita Li, who teaches at Centennial College in Toronto and the City University of New York

This meeting was presented by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Geoffrey Cowan, Director and Adam Powell III, Director of Washington Programs.

To watch the recording, please click here.

For more information, please read the Public Diplomacy Council’s blog about this forum.

Diplomacy in Blue: Willis Conover and the international impact of jazz

August 3, 2020

Tribute to the life and career of Voice of America jazz specialist Willis Conover. The virtual forum was chaired by former VOA Director Geoffrey Cowan of USC. Speakers included:

• Rick Barnes, VOA Supervisor for Radio and Multimedia Operations
• Nick Cull, USC professor and public diplomacy scholar
• Ed Gursky, former VOA Chief of Music Branch
• Arturo Sandoval, American-Cuban jazz trumpeter, Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, 10-time Grammy award winner

This meeting was presented by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, Geoffrey Cowan, Director and Adam Powell III, Director of Washington Programs,  and the Public Diplomacy Association of America (PDAA), the Public Diplomacy Council (PDC).

To watch the recording, please click here. For more information, please read the Public Diplomacy Council’s blog about this forum.

News Reporting in Asia

August 5, 2019

Radio Free Asia President Libby Liu discussed the impact of her organization’s news programming in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Radio Free Asia is a private, non-profit corporation created by the U.S. Congress mandated to broadcast to China, Tibet, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar

To watch the recording, please click here.

Social Media, Politics and War

January 7, 2019

The Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy held a discussion on weaponizing social media in politics and war. Peter Singer and Emerson Brooking discussed their book, LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media, in which they discussed the tools and strategies of social media influencing, and how those same tactics are similarly employed by political campaigns, celebrities and nefarious actors. They also talked about what more the U.S. government should do to both modernize its own cybersecurity and educate American companies and private citizens for better online health and security.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Cybersecurity (CCLP with the Wilson Center)

October 19, 2018

Cybersecurity officials from Michigan, Indiana, and Louisiana participated in a Wilson Center discussion on cyber threats. They talked about their work within their states as well as their partnering efforts with other states, the federal government, and private industry to prepare for and combat threats to critical infrastructure, including election and voting systems.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Foreign Cyber Threats

August 6, 2018

Shawn Powers, senior adviser at the Broadcasting Board of Governors, spoke at a discussion on foreign cyber threats hosted by the University of Southern California Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Countering Violent Extremism

January 8, 2018

Michael Duffin, a State Department policy adviser on countering terrorist recruitment, spoke at a discussion on how cities can counter violent extremism . He talked about the efforts and initiatives of the Strong Cities Network, a global network composed of mayors and local officials aimed at strengthening community resilience against violent extremism. In addition, Mr. Duffin emphasized the importance of cities building partnerships and said countering violent extremism needs to be a non-partisan issue.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Future of Public Diplomacy

April 3, 2017

The deans of three public diplomacy programs — at American University, Georgetown University, and George Washington University — talked about the academic programs they operated and about the future of public diplomacy education in the United States. They also discussed the impacts of various immigration policies on international student recruitment at American universities and colleges.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Edward Schumacher-Matos on Public Diplomacy

August 1, 2016

Edward Schumacher-Matos talked about the future of public diplomacy and ongoing efforts in academia to educate and train new researchers and participants in the field. Following his remarks, he responded to questions on the subject.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Amanda Bennett on the VOA

May 2, 2016

Amanda Bennett gave a keynote address at an event hosted by the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, her first major public appearance since being sworn in as the new Voice of America Director. Among the topics she addressed were the VOA agenda, collaborating with other news organizations, and the challenges of U.S. international broadcasting. After her opening remarks, she answered questions from foreign service officials and journalists.

To watch the recording, please click here.

International Broadcasting and the Information War

January 4, 2016

David Ensor talked about the state of U.S. public diplomacy such as international broadcasting and how Washington could win the so-called “information war” against Russia, China, ISIL, and other rivals. This monthly leadership forum was held at the American Foreign Service Association.

To watch the recording, please click here.

Countering Boko Haram

August 10, 2015

A State Department’s expert on Boko Haram and a Voice of America journalist talked about U.S.-led strategy to defeat the Islamist militant group that operates in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Mali. They discussed the group’s history in west Africa, and detailed its non-violent origins that gave way to its current status as a militant power in the region. Audience members asked questions about diplomacy in the region and efforts by the U.S. to establish stronger ties with Nigeria’s recently-elected government in an effort to partner against the Boko Haram threat.

To watch the recording, please click here.