Last Updated: January 25, 1999
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International journalism
Exchange
Happy visits to U.S. newspapers
By Diana Mitsu Klos
Strengthening newsroom leadership in countries where press freedom is
taking root and bringing a stronger international perspective to U.S. newspapers
are the goals of the Freedom Forum/ASNE International Journalism Exchange.
Top-level, English-speaking editors from Africa, Asia, Latin America,
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics are selected for a five-week
newspaper management training program in the U.S., the core of which is
four weeks at a host newspaper. The visiting editors see how independent
newspapers function in a free market society, and the newspapers benefit
from the expertise and experiences of their colleagues from abroad.
Since 1984, when ASNE created the project, 157 visiting foreign journalists
and nearly 120 U.S. newspapers have taken part. The Freedom Forum has funded
the project since 1994, and it has been administered for ASNE by the International
Center for Journalists since 1990. There were 149 applicants from 52 countries
for the 1998 program.
Two participants wrote articles about their experiences here; the others
and their hosts were:
Odsuren Banzad, deputy editor-in-chief, Montsame News Agency,
Ulan Bator, Mongolia — The Blade, Toledo, Ohio and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Hasril Chaniago, executive editor, Singgalang, Padang, Indonesia
— Tallahassee (Fla.) Democrat.
Babatunde Ipinmisho, deputy editor, Daily Times of Nigeria, Lagos,
Nigeria — The Cincinnati Enquirer.
Mekuria Mekasha, deputy editor-in-chief, Efoyta, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia — The Anniston (Ala.) Star.
Tushita Mitra, resident editor, The Asian Age, Bangalore, India
— The News Tribune, Tacoma, Wash.
Toms Skabardis, senior editor, Vakara Zinas, Riga, Latvia — The
Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif.
Victoria Sushkevich, deputy editor-in-chief, Facts & Comments,
Kiev, Ukraine — Grand Forks (S.D.) Herald.
Mikhail Vanyashkin, editor, BelaPAN News Agency, Minsk, Belarus
— The Dallas Morning News.
Klos is project director of ASNE. Contact her for more information
on the International Journalism Exchange at 703/453-1125 or dmk@asne.org.
