The program, which was named after renowned American journalist Edward R. Murrow, brings emerging journalists from around the world together to interact with and examine journalistic practices in the United States of America through meetings and presentations.
Addressing the participants at the close of the program, Program Officer Office of International Visitors, Stephen Taylor, thanked the visiting journalists for their time in the United States of America noting that they are hopeful that the media practitioners have learnt new things during their different engagements and created new contacts that they will stay in touch with.
“You have your thoughts about the United States before coming; you come here you see it and draw your own conclusions. Hopefully you have new contacts and that kind of relationship will continue, that serves us and you as well which is part of knowing each other better,” Taylor said, and admonished the participants to take advantage of the many opportunities they have as Alumni’s of the IVLP in their different countries.
The 24 journalists who started their sojourn in the United States on the 25th March 2019 had meetings in Washington DC with officials at the State Department, the U.S Federal Communications Commission, Radio Television Digital News Association and listened to presentations from media professionals, practicing journalists and fact checkers.
The team also visited Vox Media, the Newseum and went on sightseeing to the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and other historic places before they departed for Boston, Massachusetts.
In Boston, the team visited a University and a College, the Christian Science Monitor and the Podcast Garage- a community recording studio and classroom that provides independent podcast producers with the time, tools and community to make their shows.
They were divided into groups to visit four cities of Cincinnati, Miami, Salt Lake City and San Antonio on different but almost similar activities like engagement with undergraduate and graduate journalism students as part of the Correspondent Exchange Network (CEN) and also home hospitality where they were hosted to dinner by an American family.
The participants registered their appreciation to the United States Government for organizing the program which has given them a better understanding of the United States of America, its media and people.
Most of the journalists who are visiting the United States for the first time acknowledged that the engagements they had have changed their perspective about the American media, its people and governance system. What stand out for most of them is the level of freedom of expression and of the press the people enjoy; the First Amendment which protects free speech was exemplary for most of the participants.
The participants committed to implement the good things they learnt as well as advocate for what needs to change as they continue with their practice.
The journalists for the Edward R. Murrow Program on New and Traditional Broadcast Media were drawn from Algeria, Botswana, Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, India, Israel, Libya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Phillipines, Russsia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa, South Sudan, Switzerland and Turkey.
The late Edward R. Murrow gave eyewitness reports of World War II for CBS and helped develop journalism for mass media.
