Maxwell, Newhouse schools to co-host international journalists as part of U.S. Department of State program

Maxwell, Newhouse schools to co-host international journalists as part of U.S. Department of State programApril 11, 2007Jill Leonhardtjlleonha@maxwell.syr.edu

Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will jointly host a delegation of 12 journalists from northern Africa and France from April 12-18 as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for International Journalists. This is the second year that SU has been selected by the State Department to host a group of Murrow journalists, who will travel to the United States to learn about the rights and responsibilities of a free press in a democracy and about the social, economic and political structures of the United States.

SU is one of 12 host institutions for the total of 200 visiting journalists and the only participating university with two schools working together to provide a joint program. William Smullen, director of the National Security Studies program at the Maxwell School and a faculty member at the Newhouse School, believes that having the University’s top-ranked programs in public affairs and public relations working together on this project gives participants a unique opportunity to learn about American journalism and government from an interwoven perspective.

While here, journalists will participate in already-scheduled classes at both schools; shadow local print and broadcast media for a day; interact with campus and community residents; and participate in social outings — including an evening of dinner and conversation at the homes of Maxwell and Newhouse faculty, an SU lacrosse game, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. In hosting the delegation of journalists, SU is also working with Lucille Browning, executive director of the International Center of Syracuse (ICS), to ensure the journalists experience the local community as well as the campus.

The Murrow Program is just one of several State Department initiatives designed to improve international opinions of the United States by exposure to and recognition of shared values. “There has never been a more important time for America to build and maintain strong relations with friends and allies around the world,” says Smullen. “This international journalism initiative is a means for hundreds of millions of people around the world to gain a better understanding of America and Americans, and our values, through the words of journalists who have seen it themselves.”

Smullen says the program has the potential to have long-term impact on the stories about the United States that are carried by foreign news services. “This is an opportunity for Syracuse University and the two schools co-hosting the North African delegation — Maxwell and Newhouse — to make a valuable contribution to this effort.”

The 12 journalists coming to Syracuse represent Algeria, France, Morocco and Tunisia. They include radio, television and print reporters.