From the Frontline

Rwanda decides but what next?

2010-08-10T12:16:24Z

There was no discussion about who would win Rwanda's 2010 Presidential election among Rwandan and foreign hacks as we drove through the eastern provinces yesterday afternoon. As we passed shuttered polling stations, the betting began.

How much would President Paul Kagame win by? By 5pm, we'd heard three preliminary results from three separate polling stations. The consensus in the car put the win at around 96%. I'll admit, I went for a 90% Kagame win purely for pragmatic reasons. As far as I understand it, and please correct me if I'm wrong, the opposition parties need 5% of the vote each to secure government funds to stay in existence.

If the preliminary result of almost 93% for Kagame stands, I'm not sure what it will mean for the opposition, such as it is,

According to the preliminary results released by the National Electoral Commission, President Kagame won by 92.9 percent. The PSD candidate, Dr. Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, has 4.9 %, Prosper Higiro from the Liberal party (PL) 1.5 % and the PPC candidate, Dr Alvera Mukabaramba 0.7 %. link

Now we know the result - roughly the same as the result in the 2003 election - let's look at some of the more unreported issues around the election and also what the result means for Rwanda and the region going forward.

Campaign period

The crowds at the RPF campaign rallies were colossal. This show of strength was aimed at three audiences. To Rwandans, it emphasizes the strength and perceived popularity of the RPF. To foreign observers, it's a fantastic piece of PR for the ruling party. In addition, and most importantly according to western diplomatic sources, this impressive show of support was directed at "enemies of Rwanda outside Rwanda".

On the quirkier side, the fact that (at least one rally in Muhanga) by the Liberal party was funded by the RPF seems to have gone unnoticed by all media outlets bar Reuters. Even though it supports the over-riding media narrative that there is no convincing opposition,

At one Liberal Party rally, which attracted 200-300 people, an official said the event was funded and organized by Kagame's ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). She too would vote for the incumbent, the official added. link

Rwanda PR machine melts down

It was just late 2009 when the head of a western NGO talked to me about how incredible Rwanda's PR machine is. "How do they run their ship so tightly?", she asked. Well, 2010 saw that ship all but sink. It's unclear whether any amount of professional shoring up will stop the tide of bad press, at least in the short term. How did it happen and happen so quickly?

This BBC report, in particular, was damning. However, it's the links, more perceived than proven, of recent events being made by western media that have probably been most damaging.

Grenade attacks, defections, assassinations, press freedom and repression of political opposition... they are regularly bundled into your average Rwanda story. There is no proof (that I know of) linking any of these events, but the portrayal by western media often leaves readers with the impression that some or all of these events can be linked and linked back to the government.

For example, the common narrative with the banning of Umuseso and Umuvugizi newspapers for six months is that this is a bad thing. However, I'm reliably told that both Umuseso and Umuvugizi regularly fabricated entire stories and made up quotes. Sure, the 6 month ban looks draconian, but it's clear these papers were, at best, unprofessional.

Another case is Victoire Ingabire's FDU-Inkingi Party party which was not allowed to register for the Presidential election. She has been held under house arrest and had her passport taken away. Western media outlets often portray this as blatant suppression without looking at some of the more damaging facts. Ingabire refuses to divulge how her party is financed and she is President of two somewhat dodgy Rwanda diaspora parties - the RDR and FDU.

Ingabire is president of two Rwandan émigré parties based in Europe. One is the RDR, the other the FDU; they are essentially the same, save for the alphabet-soup acronym intrigue of émigré politics. Both are the descendents of the RDR party established in 1995 in eastern Congo by Rwandan military leaders of the 1994 genocide against the minority Rwandan Tutsi. Their intent was to replace, with less compromised faces, the Rwandan interim government that had committed the genocide and then retreated to eastern Congo.

The founding RDR ideology and strategy, never repudiated since 1995, is to return the genocide perpetrators and their supporters to power in Rwanda by force or by negotiation. Ingabire’s predecessor as RDR president in Europe, Charles Ndereyehe, is the subject of an Interpol warrant for genocide crimes committed against Tutsis in 1994. Ingabire’s RDR and FDU have long had ties with the FDLR in eastern Congo. link

Election day

Most foreign hacks stayed in Kigali for election day. This is largely because of the need to feed the media agenda; get the buzz in the capital, film the President casting his ballot, await preliminary results and make sure you have time to get to the 7pm victory party at Amahoro Stadium in the capital. The schedule doesn't allow for the parachuted-in foreign correspondent, who might be unfamiliar with Rwanda, to get out of the capital on election day. However, for those of us that did, the Kigali "showboat election" as one western diplomat described it, wasn't necessarily mirrored across the country,

In at least one incident, however, voters were ushered into polling stations hours before voting officially opened and instructed to vote for Kagame. "The first picture on the ballot sheet was Kagame. We were told to take their thumbs and show them where to vote. I know personally because I oversaw 83 people," said one man identifying himself as a village chief and RPF member. A second man in the same village in Rwanda's Eastern province told Reuters he used a megaphone to order sleeping residents to vote: "Wake up, go to vote early, the one you have to vote for, you know him." link

Going forward I'll blog some more thoughts on Rwanda's prospects over the coming months and years when I've had more time to digest recent news and events. However, I suspect any election quibbles will very soon be forgotten. Whichever ever way you cut it, this was an emphatic victory. The President has already stated that Rwanda is not ready for the medicine of democracy and given the country's unique history he may well be right. Time, or the next seven years at least, will tell. The Christian Science Monitor has a good initial analysis of Rwanda's role regionally over the coming years,

Seen by the US, Britain, and increasingly by France as a reliable strategic partner in Africa, Kagame would appear to have a secure position. But a string of defections and arrests of top Rwandan military and government officials, and assassination attempts against Kagame’s critics, are starting to leave a bad taste in the mouth of even those African leaders who once voiced their solidarity and support. link

And Reuters has a useful "snap analysis",

Some analysts say Kagame must repair his image following the crackdown on political opponents and critical media ahead of the vote and prove he is not just another African strongman with a slick international public relations machine. They say the bush war veteran will need to convince foreign donors and investors that he remains committed to his promise of democratising the country to ensure the impressive development seen over the past decade will be maintained. Analysts say Rwanda can expect far more foreign direct investment if it improves democratic accountability in the years to come rather than taking an increasingly autocratic line. link

Lastly, I'll leave you with one abiding memory of this intriguing election period in Rwanda - the campaign trail dust. As filmed on the road to a PSD rally in Karenge. I'm still washing it out...

This post was originally published on my Rwanda news and photojournalism blog Kigali Wire. Photo of Hereward Holland (Reuters), Max Delaney (AP) and Finbarr O'Reilly (Reuters) taken from the Kigali Wire Flickr account.

Journalism doesn't pay, so what?

2010-03-16T08:19:00Z

I never thought about making money when I set up Kigali Wire. From the beginning it has always been an experiment and it remains so. I never thought about making money when I shot my first photojournalism essay - which is in dire need of an editor's hand... forgive me, it is my first bash at the medium. And I never think about money when people use my stuff. So, why am I thinking about money now?

Because, I reckon I stand to make more money on by-products than I (probably) ever could from straight journalism. Since doing the photojournalism essay, I've received the following enquiries:

- 5 invites to give paid talks - that's me above, about to give one of them in Kigali.

- interest from a major newspaper in commissioning an edit of the piece.

- interest from a couple of NGO's about doing similar photojournalism pieces on a commission basis.

That's almost $2,000, even if the latter two don't come off. All the tools I use are cheap. All the digital tools I use are free or low cost.

I'm beginning to ~~hope~~ think it might be sustainable to do the stories I want to do, in the way I want to do them, if I keep in mind that by-products are the only earner. And if I get more creative in what by-products I come up with.

This is something Vaughan and I have talked about loads over the years - maybe one day we'll unveil our world-beating chip van model for the future of journalism... And I'd say this kind of thinking is at the core of what the Frontline Club stands for.

Of course, this isn't new, but - in these utterly grim times for old media - thinking along these lines might offer a glimmer of hope for any would-be freelance journalists out there. And it deffo plays into the whole how to be a foreign correspondent thinking some of us talked about recently. To make this work best, I reckon you still need to...

go somewhere cheap. And odd. The odder the better. link

Photo taken from my personal Flickr account

Freed from Somalia

2009-11-26T13:34:06Z

Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan are finally free and in Kenya after being held hostage in Somalia for over one year. The duo were snatched on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. It's a story we have followed very closely since day one,

"I'm so happy to be free; it feels like a dream," Canadian Amanda Lindhout said. Her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan said he was still "in shock" link

We catalogued the story in the graphic above and on this post - which I'm glad to say I can finally stop editing. And I know those Frontlne bloggers who have worked in Somalia - namely Alex, David and Rob - all kept a close eye on developments and contacted their sources on the ground to see what, if anything, they could find out.

Rob Crilly gives an excellent overview of the unique risks of working in Somalia. These risks multiply exponentially if you work as a freelance. This is an issue we have covered before and no doubt will again.

It's fantastic to hear Amanda and Nigel have been released and may their story be a lesson to anyone else thinking of heading into Somalia.

But let us not forget that Beverly Geisbrecht, another Canadian freelance journalist, who was kidnapped a year ago this month, remains held somewhere along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border.

Petition to release journalists held in Somalia

2009-10-28T05:51:58Z

A group of six Canadian media organisations have banded together to petition the Canadian government and help raise awareness of the kidnap of freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan in Somalia over one year ago,

Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) is launching a campaign, joined by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ), Canadian Media Guild (CMG), the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada and PEN Canada (NEPMCC), asking the federal government to do everything in its power to bring home Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan. link

CAJ president Mary Agnes Welch is careful to note that this new petition is not about media attention,

"is about personal action. Media attention could jeopardise the safety of Amanda and Nigel" link

This petition follows on from an earlier petition which, according to one commenter who appears to have created the petition, has kind of lost steam.

Amanda Lindhout is not the only Canadian freelance journalist being held against her will. Beverly Giesbrecht was kidnapped in the region between Pakistan and Afghanistan in November, 2008. She is still being held.

We've followed this kidnap story very closely since August 23, 2008 when the duo were captured, reportedly on the outskirts of Mogadishu a they were heading to an refugee camp. You can see the timeline of events in the graphic above.

If you'd like to add this constantly updated graphic to your website, blog or social networking site please go to Frontline Club on Dipity and grab the "embed widget" and follow the instructions for embedding into your site. Meanwhile here are the contents of the petition letter,

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper, P.C., M.P.
Prime Minister of Canada
Langevin Block
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister,

We, the friends, supporters and colleagues of Amanda Lindhout, join with the undersigned organisations to ask the Canadian government to make it a top priority to work for the immediate and unconditional release of Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout and her Australian colleague Nigel Brennan.

The two journalists have been held in captivity in Somalia for over a year. We urge you to commit full governmental support and resources to work with Amanda’s and Nigel’s families to bring them home. A year is too long – efforts must be redoubled.

Please do everything in your power to bring Amanda home to Canada.

Yours sincerely,

Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
Canadian Media Guild (CMG)
National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada (NEPMCC)
PEN Canada link

Kidnapped journalists in Somalia moved

2009-10-21T06:46:37Z

Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan, the two freelance journalists who were kidnapped well over one year ago on the outskirts of Mogadishu, have been moved "for security reasons" according to reports coming out of Somalia,

"It is true that Lindhout and Brennan are not in Mogadishu," said [Ambroise Pierre, head of the Africa desk for Reporters Without Borders] "They were not moved several times; they were moved once. Exactly where, we cannot say."
"They moved from the city for security reasons," said [Dahir Abdulle Alasow, who runs a Somali news website and the Associated Somali Journalists], in an e-mail from Belgium. "The kidnapper's chief . . . told one of my colleagues that the Canadian government used what he called GPS and, after the air attack of Saleh Nabhan, they decided to move." link

This is the first news of the kidnapped duo that I have come across for at least two months.

From the Frontline to Kigali

2009-10-01T05:51:07Z

Former foreign correspondent Thomas Crampton talks to Eric Weiner, another former foreign correspondent, about his thoughts on the 10 career options left for foreign correspondents. As media giants crumble and budgets for "the old way of doing things" no longer exist it's a timely (and funny) 10 minute chat. I'm guessing option number 5 - "Public Relations" is proving to be the most popular for all journalists, not just foreign correspondents, purely for economic reasons, but...

"Deep down, in your heart of hearts, you know, you're just a flack" link

However, after several years of media training for the Frontline Club, the BBC, Al Jazeera and others, it looks as if I'm heading yet deeper towards two of the other options. Firstly, option number 4 - "The Professor".

I won't quite be a professor, but I will be training Rwandan journalists here in Kigali, where I moved with my family one month ago. I'll be trying to impart a little of what I know and hopefully learn a fair bit of what they know about journalism.

I'll be working part-time on a USAID funded programme in association with the Rwanda Initiative, a Canadian media NGO based in the Rwandan capital. I'll have around 5-8 journalists per month, from radio, newspaper and TV, and I hope to learn a bit about what they do, how they work and where they work.

This shouldn't take up more than a day or two per week, which leaves me plenty of time to desk-based research work, schedule training overseas with a little left over for option number 10 - "Digital".

I've handed over the bulk of the online end of Frontlineclub.com to the very able Charlotte Cook. And finally, instead of writing about journalists working on the frontline, I get to be one. Almost. I'll be blogging for Frontline about life in Rwanda and I'll be launching my Kigali Wire news/blog site in a week or so

You can follow me on Twitter @kigaliwire and if you're really keen (and you've read this far) you can learn about the process behind building Kigali Wire which will possibly form part of the training I'll be doing here in Rwanda.

Press accreditation in Rwanda currently costs $1,000 per year for foreign journalists, but it looks like the fee might come down to a more freelance friendly $300 in the near future. As and when it does, I'll look at getting accredited and adding a bit of Eric Weiner's option number 1 - "The Journeyman" - to my portfolio of jobs.

So, please stay tuned. And, if you're passing through Kigail - do let me know.

Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan still kidnapped one year on

2009-08-22T08:16:37Z

One year ago today, freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan were kidnapped on the outskirts of Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The duo are reportedly being held in poor conditions, are in bad health and there is no indication that a release date is any closer one year on. Their Somali colleagues were released in January, 2009. The parents of the two journalists have released a joint statement to mark the one year anniversary,

"Together, the two families continue to work tirelessly to secure Nigel’s and Amanda’s safe release. With little outside support, the families, who have been united as one throughout this horrendous ordeal, continue to do everything and anything to gain the earliest possible release for their loved ones Amanda and Nigel. Our thoughts and all our love are with Amanda and Nigel, today, just as they have been for the past 365 days, and just as they will be until they are safely home with us.

In issuing this brief joint statement the families hope that the media will respect their wishes to be left alone during this particularly emotional time.” link

We continue to update the timeline as and when reports of the kidnapping are published and we feed these reports into the Dipity interactive timeline you can see above. Dipity have very kindly agreed to feature the timeline on their homepage to mark the anniversary.

What about Ibrahim Jassam?

2009-08-05T12:29:48Z

Current.tv journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee are about to arrive in California after spending 140 days in a North Korean prison having been convicted of committing "hostile acts". The North Korean leader Kim Jong Il pardoned the duo after a surprise visit by Bill Clinton. You can watch the arrival of the two journalists live on CNN.com - if you tune in right now... Current.tv founder Al Gore released a statement about the release of Ling and Lee,

Current Media journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, who have been detained in North Korea since March 17th, will be coming home on Wednesday morning with former President Bill Clinton, who is at this moment returning from North Korea having obtained their release.

We want to thank the Obama Administration for its continuous and determined efforts to achieve this outcome, and President Clinton for his willingness to undertake this mission.

All of us at Current are overjoyed at Laura and Euna's safe return. Our hearts go out to them – and to their families – for persevering through this horrible experience.

We will have more to say in the days and weeks ahead. But for now, all our thoughts are with Laura and Euna and their families, who have shown remarkable courage and initiative for the 140 days of this ordeal.

Al Gore and Joel Hyatt
Co-Founders
Current Media link

Great news that the two have been released, but what about Reuters cameraman Ibrahim Jassam? He's still being detained by U.S. miltary in Iraq after almost a year. Just look at the amount of attention his case has received in the past four weeks in comparison to the North Korea story,

And ~~while I dont want to be too cynical, but~~ how would the U.S. government have reacted if, say, a North Korean hack was found crossing the U.S. border illegally? Or, how about if an Iranian journalist had been found in the possession of confidential U.S. government documents? like Roxanna Saberi in Tehran.

I wonder how ready the U.S. government would be to pardon them? And I wonder how few times the name Ibrahim Jassam appears in and on U.S. media sites during this release fenzy. I'm watching the CNN live feed and I've yet to hear the name mentioned once, but I live in ~~completely iditiotic naive~~ hope

Photo taken by Reuters.

Amanda Lindhout in TV plea

2009-08-04T07:53:16Z

Amanda Lindhout, the Canadian journalist kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has reportedly made a plea over the telephone to Omni TV. The heart wrenching plea was broadcast earlier today in Ontario. Lindhout complains of stomach problems, dentistry issues and is worried she may die of illness or be killed by her captives. The kidnappers are thought to be demanding a ransom of between $1 - $1.5 million.

The mother of fellow kidnap victim, Australian freelance photographer Nigel Brennan, recently spoke out in frustration with the lack of progress in the kidnapping case. The duo will mark a full year in captivity on August 23.

Australian PM meets mother of kidnapped journalist

2009-07-23T14:13:45Z

The mother of Nigel Brennan, the freelance photojournalist who was kidnapped in Somalia in August 2008, has met with Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. According to Sky News Heather Brennan made an unexpected approach to Rudd when she approached the PM as he was visiting Queensland today. She spoke with him for twenty minutes,

"These are difficult, sensitive and complex negotiations... (said Rudd) ...If I was to look at the consular cases upon which I have spent the most time since I've been prime minister, it is this one,' he said. 'It is one which the government takes seriously, but I do not underestimate the degree of difficulty involved in this. It is very hard." link

Meanwhile friends of Nigel Brennan are seriously worried about his health following reports in May and a recent telephone conversation with the kidnap victim,

Family friend Rebecca Hutchins urged the media to give attention to the case. 'He is really very, very unwell,' Ms Hutchins said. 'I think mentally he would be in a very dark place and emotionally. Physically that is where the problem is at the moment. He is not well.' The family spoke to Mr Brennan as recently as Wednesday. link

Please consider taking two minutes to sign the petition to help both Nigel Brennan and Canadian journalist Amanda Lindhout who was kidnapped along with Nigel in August, 2008. And link to the petition if you have a blog, twitter account, website or email account.

Image taken from ABC Local News website.

French journalists kidnapped in Mogadishu

2009-07-14T06:29:37Z

Two French journalists were kidnapped in the Somali capital Mogadishu this morning. Gunmen snatched the duo from the Sahafi Hotel (pictured above) where most journalists stay when visiting. I'll add more to this post as and when I get information,

Somali gunmen stormed a hotel in the capital Mogadishu and grabbed two French journalists on Tuesday, a hotel worker said.
"Several gunmen entered the Sahafi Hotel, pointed guns at the guards and went into the hotel rooms where they took away the two French nationals," the hotel manager who declined to give name told Reuters.
"The two males told me they were journalists," he added. (Reporting by Abdi Guled; Writing by Wangui Kanina) link originally via a BreakingNews Twitter tip off.

UPDATE: From BBC News,

(10) Gunmen wearing Somali police uniforms turned up at the guest house, seized the two reporters and took them in a vehicle towards a part of the city run by insurgents, said witnesses. link

UPDATE: Reuters is reporting the two "journalists" are in fact security consultants posing as journalists,

A government official, who asked not to be named, said the two French men had been posing as reporters for their own protection.
"They were security consultants who arrived in Somalia to train State House security guards, not journalists," the official said...
... It was not immediately clear who had taken the men, but a pro-government Islamist militia blamed dissident troops.
"Government soldiers who have mutinied were involved in kidnapping the two French citizens," militia spokesman Abdirisak Qeylow told Reuters.
"Negotiation is under way for their release. Maybe they are demanding ransom, I don't know the exact amount. But we are doing our best for them to be released soon." link

The Telegraph's Colin Freeman and photographer José Cendón were kidnapped and held for six weeks earlier this year. Meanwhile, freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan after still being held hostage after being kidnapped in Mogadishu in August, 2008. Their driver and fixer were released in January, 2009. This new kidnap comes at a time of "fresh fighting" in the north of Mogadishu, although one could argue fighting never really gets the time to go stale in Mogadishu...

Photo of the Sahafi Hotel by Garas Balley

How can they protect us?

2009-07-08T11:48:54Z

The Red Cross and the UK Foreign Office launched a campaign this week looking at the Geneva Conventions some 60 years on. Of particular interest to Frontline Club members and blog readers is the question of how to protect of journalists,

It is important that the media are able to report the true picture of a conflict situation. But this often involves journalists putting themselves in dangerous situations.
The Geneva Conventions already clearly define the protection journalists are entitled to in their capacity as civilians within the conflict. This was re-emphasised in the First Additional Protocol of 1977.
But how can we ensure that journalists are protected? link

Photo: Protest against abduction and assault of journalist Keith Noyahr taken by Free Media Movement.

Help Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan

2009-07-07T10:15:44Z

Freelance journalists Amanda Lindhout and Nigel Brennan remain hostages in Somalia almost one year since they were nabbed on the outskirts of Mogadishu in August, 2008. Despite reports of them both being in a very bad health and of Lindhout reportedly being pregnant, it appears the Australian and Canadian governments refuse to cough up ~~the, by now, pretty pathetic ransom amount of~~ ~~$100,000~~.

Three days ago I posted a link to an online petition on the @frontlineblog twitter account to help put pressure on the two governments to do something. Now, I'm not the biggest believer in online petitions - in fact I'm a complete cynic - but with few other options left to pressure the authorities into paying - and it is only by paying that they will be released - it's worth pushing the petition if it can reach its goal of 5,000 signatures.

Unfortunately, if the statistics above are anything to go by, plenty of people have clicked through to the petition link, yet few have bothered to sign it. Less than 50 additional signatures have been added since I posted the link, yet nearly 3,000 people clicked the link. This is a gentle nudge to sign. You just never know, 5,000+ signatures might just help.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, opinions about paying kidnappers in this case are my own, not those of the Frontline Club. Money, and little else, talks in Somalia... In my opinion.

What's really happening

2009-07-03T13:55:23Z

Ex-SAS man and best selling novelist Andy McNabb had some nice things to say about the Frontline Club website and the bloggers who blog here in the latest edition of New Media Age this week. Thanks to Club member Peter Moore for pointing this out to us on Twitter and uploading the above snap from NMA. Note to Andy: to get more out of the site, may I gently nudge you in the direction of the frontlineblog on Twitter, much of which eventually arrives in the top right hand box on the Frontline Club News page.

Live tonight - Gillian Tett on the credit crisis

2009-07-01T13:50:16Z

We'll be discussing the credit crisis, financial journalism and scaremongering with Financial Times Assistant editor and journalist of the year Gillian Tett at the Frontline Club tonight. Gillian will be in discussion with BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders. We start at 7.30pm GMT and as usual we'll be streaming the event live above and on our new Livestation channel where we will also be fielding questions from viewers, so please join in. And don't forget to download the Livestation software to watch in great quality on your PC or fed through to your TV,

When she picked up her prize for journalist of the year at the British Press Awards recently, the Financial Times’ Gillian Tett claimed the accolade was a vindication for “the geeks” and “anoraks”. The assistant editor of the Financial Times has been documenting the rise of credit derivatives banking since she was appointed in 2005 to cover the the rather unglamorous capital markets patch. But it was only after the full consequences of the risks bankers had been taking became so catastrophically apparent that Gillian Tett was promoted from “geek” to luminary, regularly making appearances on TV and radio. link