Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
October 6, 2008
Under Secretary Burns to Open Third Annual Edward R. Murrow Program for JournalistsUnder Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns will open the U.S. Department of State’s third annual Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists on Tuesday, October 7, at 10:00 a.m. in the Loy Henderson Conference Room. Following brief remarks, Under Secretary Burns will take questions from the Murrow journalists. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack will also participate in the opening session, which will be on-the-record for Murrow participants. Symposia on the practice of journalism, including on coverage of the U.S. elections and foreign policy, will follow in the afternoon. The day-long conference is closed to media coverage.
The Murrow Program is a public-private partnership between the Department of State, the Aspen Institute, and ten leading U.S. schools of journalism. It will bring over 150 emerging leaders in the field of journalism from around the world to the United States to examine journalistic practices in the United States.
Following their orientation in Washington, D.C., the Murrow journalists will travel in groups for academic seminars and field activities with faculty and students at schools of journalism, including the University of Maryland, the University of Southern California (Annenberg), Syracuse University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Jackson State University, the University of Tennessee, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Minnesota, Texas Christian University, and Marquette University.
These journalism schools will design week-long, specialized courses for these international participants to examine journalistic principles and practices, both in the United States and around the world. The universities are contributing their resources, time and talent to make this program possible. Participants will then travel to several cities and small towns to gain an understanding of media coverage of state politics and government, as well as to observe American civic life and grassroots involvement in political affairs at the local level.
The program will conclude in New York City with a closing symposium at the New York Times Center, cosponsored by MasterCard. It will highlight current and future trends and challenges facing the media in the United States and around the world.
Press Contacts: For more information on the Murrow Program see fact sheet or contact:
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Darlene Kirk, (202) 203-7616
Office of Press Relations, U.S. Department of State, (202) 647-2492
2008/841
Released on October 6, 2008
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