View source for Radio Farda

{{Short description|US-funded Persian language radio}}
{{coord|50|4|44|N|14|28|43|E|region:CZ|display=title}}
{{Infobox Organization
| name                     = Radio Farda
| image                    = Radio Farda logo.png
| image_border             = 
| size                     = 
| caption                  = 
| map                      = 
| msize                    = 
| mcaption                 = 
| abbreviation             = RF
| motto                    = 
| formation                = December 2002
| native_name              = راديو فردا
| native_name_lang         = fa
| purpose                  = Broadcast Media
| headquarters             = Prague Broadcast Center, [[Prague, Czech Republic]]
| location                 = 
| region_served            = 
| membership               = 
| leader_title             = President
| leader_name              = Kambiz Fattahi
| language                 = [[Persian Language|Persian]]
| parent_organization      = [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]]
| num_staff                = 
| num_volunteers           = 
| budget                   = 
| website                  = {{URL|https://radiofarda.com}}
| remarks                  = 
}}
'''Radio Farda''' ({{langx|fa|راديو فردا|lit=Radio Tomorrow}}) is the Iranian branch of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. government]]-funded [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] (RFE/RL) external broadcast service for providing "factual, objective and professional journalism" to its audiences. It broadcasts 24 hours a day in the [[Persian Language|Persian language]] from its headquarters in the district [[Hagibor]] of [[Prague, Czech Republic]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=About us|url=https://en.radiofarda.com/p/6258.html|access-date=2021-08-31|website=RFE/RL|language=en}}</ref>

Radio Farda first aired in December 2002. It broadcasts news on topics such as political, cultural, social, and art with an emphasis on [[Iran]]. Radio Farda's broadcasts have been continually blocked by Iranian authorities over the history of its programming.<ref>Radio Farda Fact Sheet Website Page. https://www.rferl.org/info/Iran/186.html</ref>

On March 15, 2025, the [[United States Agency for Global Media]] terminated grants to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and its subsidiaries  following a directive from the [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|Trump Administration]]. All staff were put on administrative leave and programming has largely or entirely been suspended.<ref>{{cite news |title=Voice of America staff put on leave, Trump ally says agency 'not salvageable' |url=https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-signs-order-gut-voice-america-other-agencies-2025-03-15/ |access-date=March 16, 2025 |date=March 15, 2025}}</ref>

==History==

Radio Farda was established in 2003 as a joint effort of RFE/RL and [[Voice of America]] (VOA). In 2007, the [[Broadcasting Board of Governors]] (BBG) decided to consolidate all of Radio Farda's operations under RFE/RL. Then in July 2008, RFE/RL assumed sole responsibility for all Radio Farda programming.<ref name="rferl.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.rferl.org/|title=Radio Free Europe/Radio Free Liberty|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty}}</ref>

In 2008, Jay Solomon of ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' published a feature story on the challenges Radio Farda faced from an increasingly repressive [[Iranian regime]] as well as those in [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] who sought a tougher line on Iran. A few challenges he highlighted were Radio Farda journalists being unjustly convicted of crimes against the state, and millions of dollars spent on jamming Radio Farda broadcasts. He also went into detail about the fine line Radio Farda must walk to present itself as objective and accurate news source to its audience even though it is congressionally funded through the [[Broadcasting Board of Governors]].<ref>Jay Solomon, The Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121332284643270593.html?mod=sphere_ts&mod=sphere_wd</ref>

An [[Iranian-American]] journalist working for Radio Farda, Parnaz Azima, was banned from leaving Iran after her trip to the country. She had entered Iran to visit her ailing mother. She was jailed in May 2007 and released in August.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/05/world/middleeast/05tehran.html Iran Permits Journalist to Go], September 5, 2007</ref> Her passport was returned to her on a $550,000 bail.

According to Iason Athanasiadis of ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', the Prague-headquartered Radio Farda was at first "tolerated" by the Islamic Republic, unlike "the Washington-based [[Voice of America]]", and "regularly interviewed Iranian politicians".<ref name="CSM">[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0210/Iran-widens-journalist-crackdown-before-demonstrations Iran widens journalist crackdown before demonstrations], Iason Athanasiadis, February 10, 2010</ref>  However, on February 7, 2010, the public relations office of the Ministry of Intelligence announced the arrest of seven journalists described as "elements of a counter-revolutionary Zionist satellite station" and in the "official pay" of US intelligence organizations. They were later identified as working for Radio Farda.<ref name="CSM"/> Radio Farda's director, Armand Mostofi, told [[CNN]] it has no employees inside Iran.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/meast/02/07/iran.radio/ Report: Iran cites CIA in radio arrests], February 8, 2010</ref>

In March 2025, [[Elon Musk]]'s [[Department of Government Efficiency]] (DOGE) imposed a 30-day total freeze on funding to MBN and other USAGM outlets, with the intention of making that permanent.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kine |first=Phelim |date=2025-03-14 |title=Radio Free Asia set to furlough most US-based staff due to government funding freeze |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/14/radio-free-asia-funding-freeze-layoffs-00231780 |access-date=2025-03-15 |website=Politico |language=en}}</ref>

==Awards==

Radio Farda web editor Fred Petrossians won a media award from Think Social for an internet-based project he co-founded that seeks to spread awareness of bloggers' rights in Iran and other countries with unfree media.<ref>Think Social {{cite web |url=http://think-social.org/awards/2009-winners |title=2009 Winners &#124; Think Social |access-date=2010-04-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100413174101/http://think-social.org/awards/2009-winners |archive-date=2010-04-13 }}</ref>

Iranian-born Radio Farda journalist Ahmad Rafat, now a reporter based in Italy, has been honored for his more than 30 years of work advocating press freedom and exposing human rights abuses. The 2008 Ilaria Alpi award was presented by the Italian chapter of [[Reporters Without Borders]] to Rafat at a June 7 ceremony in [[Riccione]], Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://payvand.com/news/08/jun/1157.html|title=Iranian-born Journalist Wins Award for Press Freedom Advocacy|website=payvand.com}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Al Jazeera Media Network|Al Jazeera]]
* [[France 24]] (Monte Carlo Doualiya)
* [[International Broadcasting Bureau]]
* [[IRIB World Service]]
* [[Press TV]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official|http://www.radiofarda.com}}
* {{YouTube|user=TheRadiofarda}}
* {{soundcloud|Radio-farda}}

{{Broadcasting Board of Governors}}
{{Telecommunications}}

[[Category:2002 establishments in the Czech Republic]]
[[Category:International broadcasters]]
[[Category:State media]]
[[Category:Persian-language radio stations]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 2002]]