2011 Highlights
* Despite death threats, restrictions on Internet access and other major challenges, Alhurra broadcast exhaustive coverage of the historic year in Egypt.
* At times, because of their courage and ingenuity, Alhurra correspondents were the only Arab-language journalists to continue broadcasting live from Cairo during the Egyptian Revolution.
* According to a telephone poll, 25 percent of Egyptian respondents in Alexandria and Cairo were watching Alhurra to follow the events in January Egyptian Revolution.
* As with other media outlets, the Syrian regime denied Alhurra permission for an in-country correspondent. To compensate, it has drawn extensively on eyewitness accounts including YouTube, cell phone and other videos as well as telephone interviews with demonstrators.
* In spite of press restrictions and jamming of the network, Alhurra provided live coverage of the clashes in Libya for as many as 20 hours a day including viewer reports by phone and images sent through Facebook and YouTube.
* In October, Radio Sawa started broadcasting for the first time on FM to the city of Benghazi.
* Alhurra and Radio Sawa continue to be a leading source of news in Iraq reaching nearly 12 million adults each week with in-depth local newscasts and programming.
* As the U.S. announced plans to withdrawal troops in Iraq, Alhurra and Radio Sawa broadcast exclusive footage and interviews with Iraqi and American leaders while also providing support to VOA reporters on the ground.
* Alhurra and Radio Sawa covered the Tunisian Revolution extensively beginning in December 2010 and continuing through Parliamentary elections in October.
* Alhurra’s Eye on Democracy traveled to Tunisia to produce a number of documentaries on the role of social media, bloggers and Tunisian youth in the revolution.
* Alhurra’s 9-11 coverage included more than 50 hours of acquired and original programming that explored religious tolerance, coexistence, interfaith dialogue and mutual respect among people of different religions.
2010 Highlights
* The Alhurra documentary, Konoungo: The Darfurian Exile, was one of the first Arabic-language programs to give viewers an inside look at the lives of displaced Sudanese refugees in Eastern Chad.
* In 2010, Radio Sawa drew on an expanded number of in-country correspondents and started broadcasting localized newscasts to provide Egyptians with the latest local news and information.
* Leading up to the Egyptian Parliamentary election, Alhurra launched Hiwar Cairo, a weekly program examining political and social aspects of the country. Comments made on the program were reported extensively by the Egyptian media.
* Alhurra’s Eye on Democracy traveled to Dubai to produce three special episodes on the demand for constitutional monarchies; how activists are now using social media to organize; and the role of civil society in some Gulf states.
* Stories with Akram Khuzam is a new weekly investigative series examining social and cultural issues in Arab countries such as unemployment, child labor, illiteracy, female circumcision and immigration to the West.
* Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided extensive live coverage of elections in the region, including Iraq, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan and Bahrain.
* Alhurra’s FOCUS consists of in-depth news features produced by the award-winning PBS NewsHour, translated into Arabic. Additionally, Almajalla (Magazine) showcases the best in American culture and society, providing viewers insight into the richness and diversity of America.
* In addition to ongoing U.S. news, Alhurra and Radio Sawa presented comprehensive coverage during the 2010 U.S. mid-term elections.
2009 Highlights
* In March, Alhurra launched Al Youm, a ground-breaking live new TV show originating simultaneously from Dubai, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem and Alhurra’s headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. Al Youm tailors the American morning show format to evenings in the Middle East. The three-hour program provides a window to the world through coverage of the latest news from the Middle East, the U.S. and the world; as well as coverage of health, entertainment news, sports, technology, social and cultural issues.
* Alhurra and Radio Sawa programming surrounding President Barack Obama’s speech to the Muslim world from Cairo in June included live broadcasts with simultaneous Arabic translation and online news to millions of people throughout the region. Alhurra and Radio Sawa had extensive live coverage along with reportage on the expectations and the significance of the historic speech, and reaction from around the world.
* Alhurra’s documentary program Americans presented a five-part series on Arab-Americans and their lives in the United States. The series examined their immigration and integration into American society and featured interviews with prominent Arab-Americans.
* Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided in-depth and extensive coverage of elections in Iraq, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia and Mauritania in 2009.
* The Alhurra website expanded to include more news and information and broadened social media presence with a YouTube channel, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts.
* Major media such as AP, Reuters, and Alquds cited Alhurra interviews with world leaders such as Iraqi President Jalal Talibani, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki, Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Libyan leader Mohamar Khaddafi as well as U.S. officials Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.
