International Journalists Visit Cronkite for Edward R. Murrow Program

Nineteen international journalists are at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication examining the responsibilities of a free press as part of the U.S. State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program.Named in honor of the late CBS News journalist, the Murrow Program brings young international media professionals to study journalistic practices, examine foreign affairs reporting and network with American media professionals. The program is a public-private partnership between the State Department and several of the nation’s top journalism schools. More than 1,200 international journalists have participated in the Murrow Program since 2006. This is the program’s sixth year at Cronkite.More than 75 emerging digital media, broadcast and print journalists from around the globe are participating in this year’s three-week program, with stops in Washington, D.C., New York and one of six partner universities, which includes ASU.The Cronkite School is hosting journalists from Europe and Asia. The Cronkite cohort, nominated by U.S. embassies in their home countries, comes from Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom. To date, Cronkite has brought more than 70 journalists from around the globe, including the East Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.“The Edward R. Murrow Program provides a wonderful opportunity for collaboration and idea sharing between dedicated global journalists and our outstanding students and faculty,” said Cronkite Associate Professor B. William Silcock, director of Cronkite Global Initiatives. “We are excited to be a part of this innovative State Department initiative, now in its 10th year.”The Murrow participants are visiting Cronkite from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4, participating in sessions with Cronkite faculty, area journalists and civic leaders on the American political landscape, data journalism and regional issues. Speakers include Knight Chair Steve Doig and Carnegie-Knight News21 Executive Editor Jacquee Petchel, who are both Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists, New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief Fernanda Santos and Gilbert Mayor John Lewis, among others.The Cronkite School portion of the program also includes sessions on the election process and border issues with faculty who lead Cronkite News, the school’s news-gathering operation with more than 120 students who produce daily news content on TV and digital platforms for Arizona audiences. Cronkite News is the news division of Arizona PBS, the state’s main PBS station.Besides ASU, journalism programs from other universities participating in the Murrow Program include Syracuse University, University of Georgia, University of Minnesota, University of North Carolina and University of Oklahoma.The Cronkite School also hosts the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship in journalism, a partnership with the U.S. State Department and the Institute of International Education that brings accomplished mid-career journalists from designated countries to the U.S. for 10 months of intensive academic study and professional experience.Both the Murrow and the Humphrey Fellowship programs are operated at ASU through Cronkite Global Initiatives, which aims to foster meaningful connections among Cronkite students, staff and faculty and international media professionals, scholars and citizens. Other major Cronkite Global Initiatives programs include study abroad trips, overseas faculty research projects and invited scholars as well as professionals in residence.