Challenges in the New Public Diplomacy Environment - Introduction

Overview

This video opens a conference titled “Challenges in the New Public Diplomacy Environment”, hosted by the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC). The host frames the event as honoring the centennial of Walter Roberts’ birth, highlighting that Roberts helped found the institute through the Walter Roberts Endowment and shaped major U.S. public diplomacy institutions.

Key Themes and Arguments

• Leadership and timeliness of the conference

  • Director Janet Steel explains that the conference title was selected before the “new public diplomacy environment” fully emerged, implying the topic has become more urgent and relevant over time.

• Walter Roberts’ legacy

  • Moderator-introducer Frank Sesno emphasizes Roberts’ work across U.S. media and diplomacy institutions—particularly Voice of America, the U.S. Information Agency, later leadership roles, and teaching/academia—framing the core as Roberts’ personal dedication to public diplomacy’s mission.

• The information age reshaping public diplomacy

  • Sesno argues that digital and social media have transformed how citizens receive information and how leaders communicate, creating a global, real-time, 24/7 news environment.

• Erosion of traditional journalism norms

  • A central theme is that public diplomacy assumptions are being challenged, especially ideas tied to:
    • objective, impartial, gatekept journalism
    • the nature of facts and “fact authority”
  • In a media ecosystem where audiences can curate personalized feeds, these traditional norms are under pressure.

• Need to adapt strategies

  • The panel is positioned as a forum to explore implications of this “new public diplomacy landscape” and identify successful approaches for 21st-century challenges.

Panel Structure and Topics

• U.S. media diplomacy and foreign opinion — Professor Robert Edmund
• Leveraging digital tools/social media to advance U.S. policy — Macon Phillips, U.S. Department of State
• Reaching global audiences amid competition from other international players — Andre Mendes, Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)
• Public diplomacy in a “post-truth” world — Andre Armand, incoming U.S. Embassy spokesperson/information officer for Kathmandu

Closing Transition

The segment ends with Thomas Miller introduced as the moderator, described as a seasoned public diplomacy professional with extensive State Department experience. The host then hands the discussion to him, including a brief apology for incomplete introductions.

Presenters and Contributors

• Janet Steel — Director, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication
• Frank Sesno — Director, School of Media and Public Affairs
• Thomas Miller — Moderator; GW Public Diplomacy Fellow on loan from the State Department
• Professor Robert Edmund
• Macon Phillips — Coordinator, U.S. Department of State Bureau of International Information Programs
• Andre Mendes — Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer, Broadcasting Board of Governors
• Andre Armand — Incoming information officer and spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu
• Walter Roberts — Honoree (referenced via his legacy rather than as a participant)
• Sean / one additional thanked individual — Mentioned with a partially garbled name in the subtitles; thanked for years of service to the institute