This April, Meridian International Center welcomed a group of 20 journalists to the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, an annual 3-week International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) administered by Meridian International Center. Hailing from 18 different countries, the Palestinian Territories and Hong Kong, the Murrow participants began their program on research and investigative journalists in Washington, D.C., meeting with the Director of the State Department’s Washington Foreign Press Center, the Washington Post and other prominent journalism intuitions based in the District.
“I have been doing breaking news [and] breaking investigative stories that has led to changes in government.” – Rebecca Chimjeka | Investigative Journalist from Malawi
Following their program in Washington, the group headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico where they examined investigative journalism and public corruption through the lens of a small city newspaper. Several participants were invited to speak on a panel about democracy, media, and identifying and combating “fake news,” moderated by award-winning journalist Dave Marash. The panelists had the opportunity to connect with community members and local-area students in the audience as they answered questions about their work in journalism and the importance of protecting the integrity of independent journalism worldwide.
“I worked on a story on the killing of political leaders. [I’ve] been trying to uncover the political interference, who of our government leaders are involved in these investigations – that’s one of the bigger stories I was working on before coming here.” – Ayanda Goodness Mhlongo | Journalist from South Africa
The group then broke off into city split assignments, taking them to Raleigh, Tampa, Minneapolis and Syracuse. Their programs focused on community investigative journalism, public diplomacy, journalism education and global security. The group reconvened four days later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where participants examined investigate reporting in political journalism and the role of citizen journalists in the United States. The project concluded at the end of April in New York City, with meetings with media outlets such as the New York Times.
“We can share experiences, we can share information, we can help our connections to get to know more about the institution of journalism.” – Haitham Habek | Journalist from Egypt
Hear from the journalists below:
The International Visitor Leadership Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by Meridian International Center.
