NUKU'ALOFA (Matangi Tonga / Pacific Media Watch): The International Visitor Leadership Programme for Journalists began in Washington, DC, on October 24, bringing together 150 journalists from around the world, including Linny Folau of Matangi Tonga Online, from Nuku'alofa.
Called the Edward R. Murrow Programme for Journalists 2011, the annual programme is sponsored by the United States Department of State and is aimed at providing journalists from different countries and regions around the world the opportunity to learn more about the complexities in the United States from its government structure to its civic, political life and media.
Journalists will examine the rights and responsibilities of a free press in the US, gain insight into social, economic and political structures and observe practices, standards and operations of media and journalism institutions.
Building partnerships
At the same time, the programme is also an opportunity for participating journalists to share with Americans information about their own countries and build partnerships with the people they meet as well with fellow journalists.
The 150 journalists are divided up into 10 different regional groups and Tonga joins Papua New Guinea (the only two nominated representatives from the South Pacific region) in the East Asia Pacific (English speaking) group.
The group will attend lectures and meetings, including a briefing by the Under Secretary at the US Department of State Wendy R Sherman. They will attend a press briefing as observers at the White House to be conducted by the White House Press Secretary.
The group will also visit the US House of Representatives as well as the Washington Post.
The programme continues nationally with a visit to civic institutions in Denver and Fort Morgan, Colorado before visiting Minneapolis in Minnesota to attend academic and professional seminars on the Practice of Journalism and Current Affairs, hosted by the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The school has more than 1000 undergraduate majors and 100 graduate students and is ranked among the foremost journalism schools in the US.
The 10 journalists in the group with Folau include Jessica Hill, a Producer from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation; Kimsong Kay, editor in chief of Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia; Julio Da Silva Guterres, director of the Centre for Investigative Journalism in East Timor; Fnu Fitriyah, assistant head of programme from SmartFM Radio Network in Indonesia; Sara Pereira Farr, a journalist from Macau Television; Ider Sambuu, head of external relations at BTV Television in Mongolia; Veronica Francis, a freelance journalist from Papua New Guinea; Wee Leong, a senior reporter from Today MediaCorp in Singapore; and Nuthatai Chotechuang, a news anchor and producer from the National Channel in Thailand.
All groups meet for the conclusion of the programme in New York City on November 8-12.
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