2017 David Burke Awards ceremony

Event

2017 David Burke Awards ceremony

November 14, 2017

Join the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) for our annual David Burke Distinguished Journalism Awards ceremony. The awards recognize courage, integrity and professionalism of journalists from each of the BBG networks—Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa), Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí).

2017 recipients

Voice of America

Heather Murdock, VOA Middle East Correspondent, for the strength, courage and journalistic skill she demonstrated while documenting the drive by coalition forces to retake the city of Mosul from ISIS.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Uzbek Service, for their tireless and courageous determination to break stories and provide Uzbekistan’s citizens with a means to speak truth to power, despite grave risks to themselves and their families.

Office of Cuba Broadcasting

Ricardo Quintana, Marti journalist, for documenting the difficult and dangerous immigration routes that many Cuban migrants took in their attempt to reach the U.S.

Radio Free Asia

Albert Hong, Jae-wan Noh, and Hee Jung Yang, Korean Service, for their fastidious investigative reporting that exposed a forced labor scheme by the North Korean government in seven countries.

Middle East Broadcasting Networks

Alhurra-Iraq correspondent Abdul Hamid Zebari and cameramen Yaser Salim and John Saeed, for taking extreme risks to accurately and objectively report on Iraq’s deepening catastrophe as a result of ISIS’s inhumane actions.

About the USAGM

The U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent international media organization overseen and funded by the US government, puts objective, professional news and information content to work on behalf of U.S. global interests and national security. USAGM networks include the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (Radio and TV Martí), Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa) and the Open Technology Fund. USAGM programming has a measured audience of 420 million in more than 100 countries and in 64 languages.

Event Information

November 14, 2017, 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

BBG Headquarters
Cohen Building Auditorium
330 Independence Ave. S.W.
Washington, D.C.

For more information, please contact BBG Public Affairs at (202) 203-4400 or by e-mail at pubaff@bbg.gov.

Speakers

As BBG Deputy Director, Jeffrey Trimble acted as the second-in-command and was the principal deputy and adviser to the CEO. The Deputy Director assisted the CEO in overseeing the strategy and operations of the BBG and of U.S. International Media (USIM), provided oversight of all elements of the BBG, and provided day-to-day planning, coordination, and strategic guidance to the CEO. He was authorized to serve as Acting Director in the CEO’s absence. Trimble joined the BBG in 2007 as Director of Programming and later served as Executive Director, managing the Board staff and providing strategic guidance and program oversight. He became IBB Deputy Director in 2012 and worked with the Global Strategy team, focusing on special projects to advance collaboration and coordination across the BBG. Trimble also worked for 10 years at RFE/RL, where his positions included Acting President, Counselor to the President for Programs and Policy, Director of Policy and Strategic Planning, and Director of Broadcasting. Previously Trimble worked at U.S. News & World Report magazine for 15 years, in positions including Assistant Managing Editor, Foreign Editor, Moscow Bureau Chief, and diplomatic correspondent. He holds a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and is a fluent Russian-speaker.
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John F. Lansing joined USAGM as CEO and Director in September 2015. Lansing’s previous experience includes nine years as President of Scripps Networks, where he is credited with guiding the company to become a leading developer of unique content across various media platforms including television, digital, mobile and publishing. Most recently, Lansing was President and Chief Executive Officer of Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing (CTAM), a marketing association comprised of 90 of the top U.S. and Canadian cable companies and television programmers. There, Lansing oversaw the development of business strategies and marketing initiatives that position cable television companies for continued growth as they compete with emerging digital content platforms. Lansing also brings a deep understanding of journalism from roles as an award-winning Photojournalist and Field Producer, Assignment Manager, Managing Editor, and News Director at several television stations earlier in his career.
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Michael J. Abramowitz
President, Freedom House
Robyn Kriel
CNN anchor and correspondent, 2008 Burke Award recipient

United States Agency for Global Media

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