bbc

An edited transcript of the CPD-BBC Forum held at USC, asking the hard questions about soft power.

An Ebola isolation center in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Former VOA Deputy Director on how international broadcasters can stem the tide of Ebola.

The CPD-BBC Forum is now available online via BBC The World Tonight.

"Lack of knowledge and myths about the disease are killing people as surely as Ebola is," said BBC World Service director Peter Horrocks. Quality information from both within and outside the countries affected about how the risks of Ebola can be safely managed will save lives. "The range of emergency activities on Ebola from the BBC World Service are in the finest traditions of the humanitarian instincts of our broadcasting."

CPD hosted the BBC for an expert panel discussion, followed by a Q&A.

Each recent British Foreign Secretary has brought their own flavor to public diplomacy. Robin Cook’s “ethical foreign policy” argued that strong values should provide the basis for an image that can then be used to promote overseas trade. Jack Straw and Margaret Beckett contributed to increased professionalism in PD, including a clearer focus on the outcomes of PD activities.

Foreign Secretary William Hague with UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt

James Pamment reviews the British Foreign Secretary's PD legacy 

After Thailand's government was toppled by the military, the new leaders of the country began imposing control over the media, preventing the spread of information. Now, one news organization is figuring out a way to do its job. In May, the Thai military junta, the de facto rulers of the nation, began censoring the media. The military enacted a total media blackout, depriving the Thai people of access to news and forcing news channels, including international ones like CNN and BBC, to stop broadcasting, according to Mashable.

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