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Public Diplomacy

The main point of my visit is trying to enlist a Maldivian partner organization for a Fulbright specialist grant from the US State Department. But it’s also a chance to catch up with some of the outstanding professionals I met at TV Maldives on the last two trips. Environmental reporter Huzam Hamid and Jadullah Thaufeeq (JD), a producer for the English bulletin, are big fans of American movies and speak English with near native fluency. They translate CNN and Reuters into Dhivehi and then translate the Dhivehi bulletin into English. They are also multitalented guys, who produce, present and report in the field. TVM is lucky to have them. This was a fun evening and public diplomacy at its best… fellow journalists sharing stories and comparing the broadcasting practices of our two countries.