KNOXVILLE — The University of Tennessee’s School of Journalism and Electronic Media (JEM) is hosting 13 journalists from Eastern Europe as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists.
The radio and print journalists — from Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan — arrived Thursday and will be on campus until Oct. 15.
The foreign journalists will participate in seminars and discussions led by College of Communication and Information’s JEM faculty and local journalists on media ethics, reporting methods and political reporting. They’ll also be discussing U.S. foreign policy, crime and election coverage. The group will spend time with journalists and editors from the Knoxville News Sentinel, Citadel Broadcasting (WIVK/WNOX) and WBIR-TV (Channel 10).
The Murrow Program is an innovative public-private partnership between the Department of State, the Aspen Institute and 10 leading U.S. schools of journalism. The program will bring approximately 160 journalists from independent media outlets around the world to the U.S. to examine journalistic principles and practices, both in the U.S. and around the world, and interact with professional journalists and experts in the field.
“The Murrow Program provides the perfect opportunity for foreign journalists to receive firsthand exposure to American journalism and culture. It is also a wonderful and much-needed opportunity for American journalism students and faculty and journalists to engage in a dialogue with journalists from other parts of the world,” said JEM director Peter Gross. “We are excited to have this opportunity to participate in the third annual program and to exchange ideas with our visitors about how we can help promote free, responsible and ethical journalism around the world.”
The foreign journalists’ U.S. visit began with a four-day orientation in Washington, D.C. They then divided into groups and traveled to 10 partner institutions. Along with UT Knoxville, the other schools involved include Jackson State University, Marquette University, University of Maryland, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California, Syracuse University and Texas Christian University.
The journalists also will travel to Seattle, Wash., to examine the roles and responsibilities of state and local governments, learn about the importance of the civil rights movement in U.S. history and observe media coverage of politics, governance and civic engagement firsthand. The program will conclude in New York City, with visits to major media outlets and a symposium on the future of journalism globally.
For more information about the College of Communication and Information, see http://www.cci.utk.edu/.
—
Contacts:
Amy Blakely, (865) 974-5034, amy.blakely@tennessee.edu