Voice of America

Salwa Jaafari brings two decades of diverse experience in journalism and diplomacy. Since 2021, she has served as the Director of VOA’s Africa Division, initially joining Voice of America as an Executive Producer for the French to Africa service. There, she played a pivotal role in launching four television shows and establishing a TV newsroom. Prior to her tenure at VOA, Jaafari made her mark as a versatile freelancer for French news agency AFP and British network Skynews Arabia. Hailing from Morocco, Jaafari’s passion for storytelling ignited early in her career in Morocco thanks to an internship with News Agency Reuters. She went on to thrive as a TV host, field reporter, and chief editor for two prominent TV channels. Her impact extends beyond the screen, with a portfolio boasting ten documentaries, including one credited with catalyzing legislative change. Jaafari’s commitment to journalistic excellence has earned her accolades such as the prestigious “CNN Best African Journalist of the Year” award, recognizing her groundbreaking work shedding light on illegal immigration in the Moroccan desert and the Spanish Canary Islands. Beyond media, Jaafari brings a wealth of diplomatic expertise, having served as an Information Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Rabat, fostering robust relations between nations.

Euna Lee, an award-winning journalist, steers the strategic direction of VOA’s feature content, overseeing the production of the 52 Documentary series and VOA’s special projects. Lee’s leadership has led to a notable enhancement in the quality of VOA’s long-form content, expanding its scope and appeal. Within her initial two years, she has garnered over 18 awards, including five finalists. Known for her adeptness in project management and her deep understanding of global interests, Lee’s meticulous approach has been instrumental in ensuring the program’s excellence in global content distribution. In 2023, VOA’s flagship program, 52 Documentary, experienced a 100% increase in affiliate interest, and Lee successfully positioned the program on global affiliates’ platforms, expanding VOA’s presence in challenging regions through collaboration with the business development team. Lee joined VOA in 2017 and established the Korean service’s inaugural TV team. As executive producer, she launched seven original TV programs that quickly gained viewership, propelling the Korean service to one of VOA’s top 10 YouTube channels within a year. In 2019, she was appointed Special Assistant to then VOA Deputy Director. Before VOA, Lee worked with Fusion media, AJ+, and Al Jazeera TV networks, reaching an audience of over 3 million viewers. Her name gained international recognition after being detained in North Korea while filming a human trafficking documentary for Current TV, co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore. Lee authored “The World is Bigger Now,” recounting her 140-day detention in North Korea. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University.

A seasoned media professional, journalist, broadcaster and documentary filmmaker, Niusha Boghrati has served USAGM’s mission for more than 18 years. Boghrati is the Executive Editor of VOA Persian, overseeing its editorial content. Prior to working as Executive Editor, he served as the Editor in Chief at Radio Farda, VOA Persian’s sister broadcaster, for 11 years while supervising the RFE/RL headquarters in Prague. Boghrati also served as an acting director of Radio Farda for two years. Boghrati’s experience also includes his role as senior editor and newsroom manager for the DC offices of the Iran International TV network. In late 1990s and early 2000s, before immigrating from Iran, Boghrati worked as a correspondent. His areas of expertise include Iran Politics, Iran Anatomy of Power, Iran Civil Movements, Iran Protests and Iran Human Rights.

Arash Sobhani is a seasoned multimedia journalist with extensive experience in television production and digital media at VOA Persian. Sobhani is the host of New York Harmony and is currently the producer of Decode. He also helped produce the popular show, Tablet. His work spans a wide array of television programs, including political satire, live music shows, and documentaries, all recognized for their creativity and deep exploration of Iranian culture. Beyond VOA, Sobhani has served as an executive producer for major TV productions like Persia’s Got Talent and The Voice Persia. His expertise in social media management and his background as the founder of the Iranian rock band Kiosk further highlight his diverse talents.

Rafael Saakov is anchoring the live talk show “Discussion VOA,” airing from Washington, D.C. that covers main foreign policy issues, as well as major breaking news stories through virtual round table discussions with guest experts. As one of the anchors for VOA’s Russian-language television programming, Saakov also regularly hosts and edits the daily show “Current Time America” on the Current Time TV channel and interviews U.S. diplomats, lawmakers, and other high-profile officials. During his 15 years reporting from Moscow, London and now Washington, D.C., Saakov has covered local, parliamentary and presidential elections in Russia and Ukraine; the largest opposition rallies in Moscow in 2011 and 2012; and the main court trials of Russian opposition leaders and activists. Saakov has also covered major sporting events, including the Olympics in London, Sochi and most recently Pyeongchang, South Korea, where he was VOA’s sole reporter covering the Winter Games. In 2014, The Guardian newspaper reported that Saakov is among the top news tweeters on the post-Soviet world. Prior to VOA, he was BBC’s Russian service multimedia correspondent based in Moscow, with regular assignments in London. Rafael Saakov holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Journalism.

VOA Statement on Russia's Release of RFE/RL Journalist Alsu Kurmasheva https://lnkd.in/eaWVPJhu

Virginia Gunawan is a multimedia journalist at VOA Indonesian, where she covers U.S. and global politics to millions of viewers in Indonesia, through comprehensively produced stories and live reports. Her work extends from reporting on the intricacies of America’s stories to U.S. democracy, breaking news and sociocultural issues. She is also in the forefront of reporting on disinformation and the impact of social media in developing countries. Prior to joining VOA, she worked as a journalist in Indonesia covering Indonesian politics, regional security matters, and a wide range of in-depth reporting including the Hong Kong protest, South China Sea dispute, Indonesia election, among other stories, in audio visual format. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Petra Christian University. She was awarded the Fulbright Master’s Scholarship and obtained her Master of Arts in Journalism from New York University.

Gonzalo Abarca is the anchor of “Foro Interamericano,” one of VOA’s most successful TV shows in the Western Hemisphere. Gonzalo is known for his international political expertise. A seasoned reporter with deep, well-rounded experience on U.S. and Latin America relations, he is also known for his in depth one-on-one interviews with dignitaries and personalities. Abarca began his career in Telemundo Network as reporter, editor and executive producer. He has also worked as language editor for the Discovery Channel, as senior editor for Univision.com and as a producer and reporter for the BBC World Service. Abarca holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Pace University of New York and has done some graduate studies on International Relations and International Law at Florida International University.

Arben Xhixho joined VOA in 1992 serving as a reporter, writer, editor and lead anchor. Xhixho has covered significant events, including Albanian-Serbian talks in Rambouillet, France; NATO’s air campaign against Serbia in 1999; the Kosovar refugee crisis; and the 2000 and 2004 Republican and Democratic political conventions. He has interviewed many leading politicians in Albania and Kosovo. Xhixho played a critical role in VOA Albanian’s transition from radio to a multimedia environment, including the launch of the service’s daily television news program, “Ditari.” He became Service Chief in June 2006, overseeing a steady increase in the weekly audience of VOA Albanian’s program. He previously worked for Radio Tirana from 1986 to 1991, and as liaison officer for the International Media Fund from 1991 to 1992, working closely with the independent media that emerged after the fall of the Albania’s communist regime. Xhixho is a graduate of the School of History and Philology of Tirana University in Albania.

The chief of VOA Vietnamese, Giao Pham, joined the Voice of America in 2017. Prior to his current post, Pham worked at Radio Free Asia’s Vietnamese Service as an international broadcaster for almost 2 years, and at the California-based Nguoi Viet (Vietnamese People) Daily News, the first and largest Vietnamese language daily in the U.S. as the editor for more than 7 years. Pham holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnique University of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and a Master of Arts in economics from California State University, Fullerton.