Source description last updated: 24 June 2020

In brief: RFA is a US-government-funded non-profit broadcasting organisation providing news on selected East and South-East Asian countries.

Please see the source description for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) for more detailed information on objectives, funding and reporting methodology.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Selected English-language news articles

Covered weekly on ecoi.net for Myanmar.

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“Radio Free Asia’s mission is to provide accurate and timely news and information to Asian countries whose governments prohibit access to a free press.” (RFA website: About Radio Free Asia, undated)

“Radio Free Asia operates under a Congressional mandate” and “is a private, nonprofit corporation, funded by the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) […].” (RFA website: Mission, undated)

As RFA’s Code of Journalistic Ethics states, “RFA journalists must remain independent of any political party, opposition group, exile organization, or religious body in the countries to which RFA news and information are disseminated […].” (RFA website: Code of Journalistic Ethics, undated)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: RFA’s reporting covers China, Tibet, North Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar.

Thematic focus: political and economic developments, human rights, security issues

Methodology:

RFA’s Code of Journalistic Ethics states that: “RFA journalists must not include rumor or unsubstantiated information in any report or program. Whenever possible, they must seek and obtain more than one source for a story. […] If an RFA journalist makes a material error in a broadcast or published RFA news, commentary, or information, the journalist must promptly acknowledge the error and issue a correction, typically via the same communication medium in which the error was disseminated. […] RFA journalists must give full credit when using any part of another news organization’s or media source’s interviews, reports, or materials.” (RFA website: Code of Journalistic Ethics, undated)

Languages of publication:

Mandarin, Cantonese, Tibetan, Uyghur, Vietnamese, Lao, Khmer, Burmese, and Korean

Further reading / links:

BBC News: Fears over US media independence as Trump-appointed chief fires editors, 19 June 2020
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53111704

New York Times: New Conservative Media Chief Dismisses Heads of U.S.-Funded News Outlets, 17 June 2020
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/17/us/politics/michael-pack-media-agency.html

 

All links accessed 24 June 2020.