Schieffer School hosts Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists

Fort Worth, TX

10/2/2008

The TCU Schieffer School of Journalism will host 11 journalists from East Asia and the Pacific from Oct. 10 through 15, 2008, as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists.

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 United States and around the world, and interact with professional journalists and experts in the field.

“The Murrow Program gives TCU an opportunity to contribute to an international discussion of new global media realities,” said TCU journalism professor Tommy Thomason, director of the Edward R. Morrow Program for the Schieffer School. “We are excited to exchange ideas with our visitors about how we can help promote vigorous and responsible journalism around the world.”

After a four-day orientation in Washington, D.C., the international journalists will divide into groups and travel to one of the 10 partner institutions, including TCU. The other nine institutions include Jackson State University, Marquette University, University of Maryland, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Oklahoma, University of Southern California, Syracuse University, University of Tennessee, and the University of Minnesota.

The 11 journalists who will visit the Schieffer School come from the Peoples Republic of China, Singapore, Australia, Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Vietnam. They hold positions in radio, television and print in their home countries.

Thomason said the Schieffer School has designed a specialized agenda for the group’s week-long visit, including seminars led by Schieffer School faculty, political science faculty and area journalists issues in American journalism, the new media revolution, investigative reporting, economic issues in journalism, coverage of foreign affairs, media ethics, coverage of minorities, and coverage of the American presidential election.

The program will conclude in New York City, with visits to major media outlets and a symposium on the future of journalism globally.