Press Release
U.S. Mission supports investigative journalism training program
May 21, 2008
The U.S. Embassy is sending a Tanzanian journalist to participate in a three-week program on Responsible Investigative Journalism in the United States, from May 22-June 12, 2008. This program is part of the International Visitors Leadership Program run by the U.S. Department of State.
The three-week program will provide opportunities for the professionals to discover the U.S. journalistic landscape and how media helps to provide accountability in society. They will be able to observe how investigative journalists work and serve the community.
According to the U.S. Embassy, the 24 participants, including Tanzanian journalist Muhingo Rweyemamu, will begin their study tour in Washington, D.C., and will receive an orientation on American culture, federalism and a broad perspective on investigative journalism in the United States. Participants will also meet with former chief investigative editor at ‘U.S. News and World Report’ David Kaplan a leading member of Investigative Reporters and Editors; ‘Washington Post’ Assistant Editor at the foreign desk or ombudsman; CNN’s Senior Editor Pam Benson; representatives of the International Consortium for Investigative Journalists and Internews; Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia ; ‘Al Jazeera’ Managing Director; British Broadcasting Company’s Andrew Steele; ‘Le Figaro’ Washington Bureau Chief Philippe Gelie; Reuters TV; the Pentagon’s press office; the Fund for Independence in Journalism’s President Charles Lewis, the First Amendment Centre and the Newseum.
From Washington, the participants will travel to San Francisco, California where they will focus on the impact of alternate media and bloggers. Participants will hear about media associations and their function. They will also hold discussions with the editorial director of the Center for Investigative Reporting Dan Noye; San Francisco Chronicle Sports Investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada; AlterNet for discussion on impact of internet and bloggers and a panel discussion with representatives of non-governmental organizations that work as media watchdogs.
Participants will split into four smaller teams for concurrent travel so that they will have more time for in-depth discussion on the media issues and each team will address an on-going community concern and gain an appreciation for how the community both informs and receives key information of the local media.
The Tanzanian journalist will be in team that will go to Cleveland, Ohio, where he will look at an on-going community concern on guns and how to control them. The entire group reconvenes in Miami, Florida where they will attend the annual conference of Investigative Reporters and Editors specialized panels on various journalistic beats.
From Miami, the group will travel to New York City, New York where they share from their team-city experiences and visit key media entities such as channel 13 WNET New York’s “NOW” Program, Business Week and Columbia University’s Journalism School.
Rweyemamu will join 24 other journalists from Angola, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Nigeria, and People’s Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, United Kingdom, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. The participants were selected for this program in 2007.
The International Visitor Leadership Programme facilitates personal and professional contacts between the people of the United States and the people of Tanzania. This exchange program is part of overall U.S. Government direct and multilateral assistance to Tanzania of more than half a billion U.S. Dollars (over 750 billion Tanzanian shillings) in fiscal year 2008. For further information on the IVLP and other activities, please visit us at http://tanzania.usembassy.gov.