In the Middle East and northern Africa, genuine, unfiltered news is a rare commodity. The Middle East Broadcasting Networks exist to address this gap. Based in Virginia and funded by Congress, MBN provides Arabic-language television (the Alhurra networks) and radio (Sawa) to more than 24.7 million people weekly, along with associated digital channels.

To counteract anti-American reporting, MBN’s role, he explains, is “to expand the spectrum of ideas, opinions, and perspectives available in the [region’s] media.” MBN covers “social, political, and cultural issues not regularly reported on in the Arabic media, including human rights, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.” For MBN’s digital platforms, the goals are more pointed: They target specific countries and deal with topics such as extremism, attempting to “change the narrative,” Bouran says, “by lending a voice to the voiceless in danger and conflict zones.”

Success is measured in audience feedback, even when it’s negative. “Sometimes people don’t like what we are saying,” he adds, “because we are saying exactly what needs to be said.”