U.S. to beam its message abroad

Press, 7 February 1986, Page 26

U.S. to beam its message abroad

NZPA-AP Washington President Ronald Reagan’s Administration plans to use satellites and cable television to transmit its message to much of the non-commun-ist world. Last April, the United States Information Agency (U.5.1.A.) started beaming two hours a day of television programming to European cable television systems. U.S.LA. claims it now reaches more than a million Europeans through several cable companies. By the end of next year, U.S.I.A. will reach Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. U.S.I.A. calls its television service Worldnet The centrepiece is a daily 30-minute magazine show, “America Today,’’ which combines news, features .

and interviews. The satellite feed recently included interviews with the singer Pearl Bailey, Queen Noor of Jordan, the author James Michener, an astronaut, Sally Ride, and the polio vaccine pioneer, Dr Jonas Salk. A weekly “Science World” show offers documentaries produced by U.S.I.A. and American corporations. The service is part of the agency’s effort to use technology to promote the Administration’s politics and to show America’s people, science and culture. The Soviet Union, not surprisingly, is not pleased by it. A Moscow commentator said last year that Worldnet was being “used by Washington to impose its foreign

policy line upon other countries.”

The experiment began in November, 1983, when the Administration, stung by foreign criticism of the United States-led invasion of Grenada the previous month, arranged a satellite interview featuring top United States officials and 40 journalists based at five United States embassies in Europe.

A month later, U.S.I.A. achieved another breakthrough when it arranged an extra-terrestrial news conference with the crew of the earth-orbiting shuttle Challenger.

Taking part were President Reagan in Washington, the West German Chancellor, Mr Helmut Kohl, in Bonn and 70 European journalists in eight Countries.