United States Agency for Global Media

Springfield, VA — As President Donald Trump headed to the Middle East and Europe on his first presidential trip abroad, Alhurra Television and Radio Sawa began special coverage on television, radio, and online of this nine-day journey through Riyadh, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Vatican, Sicily, and Brussels.

Alhurra’s extensive coverage featured live interviews, updates, and speeches from world leaders with simultaneous Arabic translation. Reports highlighted the new administration’s commitment to combating extremism, terrorism, and violence; the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the prospects for peace; partnership between the United States and the GCC countries; the transatlantic relationship between Europe and the United States; and multilateral engagement on a host of other security, defense, diplomatic, religious, and economic issues. Alhurra also took a close look at the foundation of the new Global Center for Combating Extremism in Riyadh and whether it will play an effective role in facing the extreme ideology leading to terrorism.

Accompanying the President within the press corps, Alhurra’s Michel Ghandour provided insightful reports to Alhurra and Radio Sawa audiences and online users across the Middle East and North Africa. Through a series of in-depth interviews with Arab and Israeli political and academic figures, Alhurra’s political talk show Free Hour dedicated several episodes to explore topics including the regional threat posed by Iran, NATO’s joining the international coalition to fight ISIS, and the realization of an Israeli-Arab peace. Alhurra’s weekly show Gulf Talks discussed the evolving bilateral relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Alhurra’s flagship program Al Youm surveyed opinions from Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and the West Bank about the possibility of achieving a peace agreement and reactions from women to the pledges from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to create a $100 million fund to assist women entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Radio Sawa broadcasted hourly news updates on President Trump’s trip and interviews with analysts and politicians. Radio Sawa’s Sawa Magazine dedicated several episodes to examining renewed tensions between Qatar and the Gulf Arab nations just days after President Trump’s meeting with regional leaders, Iran’s relations with Saudi Arabia, the agreements signed between Saudi Arabia and the United Sates cementing their countries’ military and economic partnerships, and the promotion of moderate Islam to counter extremism.

Online, Alhurra and Radio Sawa’s digital platforms covered the president’s trip using the networks’ original reports, social media, and wire reports. Alhurra’s Facebook page provided a second-screen experience with live daily reports from Alhurra’s correspondent accompanying the president. On Twitter, Alhurra and Radio Sawa tweeted up-to-the-minute news about the trip, providing information about issues such as the economic and political partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Alhurra.com and radiosawa.com also posted stories on the Arab-Islamic-American Summit in Riyadh and the military agreements and economic deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia.