America.gov - Engaging the world

Webcast – The History of Jazz

This digital videoconference with participants in Dhaka, Bangladesh, will provide an opportunity for an exchange between two different cultures that share similar characteristics. These characteristics include high artistic ideals, a love of jazz and the common goal of playing the music well.

John Edward Hasse is a music historian, pianist and award-winning author and record producer. He serves as curator of American music at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, where he was founding executive director of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, an acclaimed big band, and where he founded national Jazz Appreciation Month, celebrated every April throughout the United States.

Hasse is the author of a critically acclaimed biography, Beyond Category: The Life and Genius of Duke Ellington, with a foreword by Wynton Marsalis, and the editor of a major illustrated history, Jazz: The First Century, with forewords by Tony Bennett and Quincy Jones. Library Journal called the book “a major contribution to the understanding of jazz.”

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World Press Freedom: Is the Economic Downturn a Threat to Journalism?

Media companies worldwide are facing declining advertising revenue, decreasing circulation and job cuts. In order to withstand this economic downturn, the media must take steps to adapt to new obstacles and changing technology. Sherry Ricchiardi and Frank Folwell will discuss the challenges facing media companies and what direction these companies should take.

Dr. Sherry Ricchiardi is a senior writer specializing in international affairs for the American Journalism Review and a professor at Indiana University. She is also the director of the Indiana University School of Journalism Dart Affiliate Program (an affiliate of Columbia University’s Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma) and a former consultant for the Crimes of War Project. Her work has appeared in newspapers such as USA Today, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Miami Herald, and her many honors include the Indiana Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists' Courage Award for frontline coverage in the Balkans in 1992.

Frank Folwell has been deputy managing editor in photo and graphics at USA Today, the United States’ largest newspaper. Over the past year, he has worked in China, teaching and consulting for newspapers on management and visual journalism.

H1N1

Want to know more about H1N1 influenza? America.gov science writer Cheryl Pellerin answers your questions about the flu and about international efforts to prevent and monitor its spread and the spread of other diseases.

Cheryl Pellerin has a degree in science journalism from the University of Maryland and previously worked as an independent science journalist for print and broadcast. She has worked for the Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel and the Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership.

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Is Independent Journalism Possible?

Responsible and independent media are pivotal to democracy all over the world. To commemorate World Press Freedom Day, veteran reporter Deborah Potter will discuss how journalists across the world can practice independent journalism in light of new technology and new global challenges. She will focus on journalists' responsibilities and what makes a good reporter.

Deborah Potter is a veteran journalism trainer, reporter and writer, as well as the executive director of NewsLab, an online resource center for television and radio newsrooms that focuses on improving journalism. She is also a contributing correspondent to Religion & Ethics Newsweekly on PBS and a columnist for American Journalism Review. Before NewsLab, Potter spent 16 years as a network correspondent for CBS and CNN. She is also the author of the State Department's Handbook of Independent Journalism.

World Press Freedom: U.S. Support for Independent Media

Without independent media, citizens and countries have no way of receiving truthful and vital information. Join Ambassador Karen Stewart as she discusses how countries must work together to ensure a free press, which is essential for democracies to thrive.

Ambassador Karen Stewart is a career member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service. In July 2006, President Bush nominated her to be U.S. ambassador to Belarus. In July 2008, she became principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. She has served in Thailand, Sri Lanka, Laos and Pakistan, and as deputy chief of mission in Belarus. In December 2007, Ambassador Stewart was presented the department’s first Diplomacy for Freedom Award for her embassy’s work in Belarus.

The 2009 H1N1 Flu, Also Known as the Swine Flu

Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson and Rear Admiral Mitchell L. Cohen will discuss the United States' response to the swine flu outbreak and take questions from reporters.

Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson is the acting surgeon general of the United States. The surgeon general serves as America's chief health educator, providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury. In the position since October 2007, Dr. Galson has participated in several programs to help the American people make healthy choices that impact their health, safety and security.

Rear Admiral Mitchell L. Cohen is the director of the Coordinating Center For Infectious Diseases at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He leads CDC's largest, most complex coordinating center, which includes the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention; the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases; the National Center for Preparedness, Detection and Control of Infectious Diseases; and the National Center for Zoonotic, Vector-Borne and Enteric Diseases. When combined, these national centers represent a budget of roughly $4 billion and employ more than 3,000 staff nationally and internationally.

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NATO's 60th Anniversary

The purpose of this digital videoconference is to raise awareness in young Romanian students of the importance of NATO's role in the world. Participating will be students from the National Defense College, the National School for Political Studies and Public Administration, and the political sciences department at Bucharest University, plus media members.

Leo Michel is a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Strategic Studies in Washington, concentrating on trans-Atlantic security issues. Before joining INSS in July 2002, Michel was director for NATO policy for the U.S. secretary of defense. His office was responsible for policy support to the secretary and other senior defense officials in areas such as NATO defense planning and capabilities, enlargement, the Partnership for Peace, and NATO-European Union relations.

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President Obama's Foreign Policy Engagement: The First 100 Days

The first 100 days of the Obama administration have been among the busiest in presidential history, both in terms of domestic initiatives and in foreign policy challenges. Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the National Security Council, will review the progress made in engaging the world and will take questions from the media.

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North American Literature Series

As part of the North American Literature Series, a digital videoconference with the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, Slovakia, will discuss the sustainability of the American way of life. How is the "American Dream" reinterpreted by different generations, or does it remain constant? How are the economics of the American lifestyle different from life in the European social state? Our guest will be Robert Earle, a senior foreign service officer with 25 years of experience in foreign policy and international affairs.

Robert Earle is a widely published author in both fiction and essays, and has written speeches for U.S. presidents, secretaries of state and ambassadors.

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Analysis of Obama's First 100 Days in Office

As we approach President Obama's 100th day in office, what has he been able to accomplish so far? What obstacles lie ahead for his administration?

Join Michelle Austein Brooks, who has been following the president's first hundred days with her blog on America.gov. She will be analyzing President Obama's objectives and progress.

Michelle Austein Brooks is a U.S. government and politics writer who has covered three national elections for America.gov.

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Webcast – Earth Day

As part of its Earth Day programming, the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Austria, has arranged a digital videoconference to discuss the expected changes and challenges in the new administration's environmental policy. Our guest will be expert journalist Juliet Eilperin, who will present the Obama administration's plans with regard to the environment.

Since April 2004 Washington Post reporter Juliet Eilperin has covered the environment for the national desk, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans and air quality. In pursuit of these stories, she has gone scuba diving with sharks in the Bahamas, trekking on the Arctic tundra and searching on her hands and knees for rare insects in the caves of Tennessee. During her first year at the Post, Eilperin was the most prolific writer on the news staff, writing more than 200 stories. In the spring of 2005 she served as the McGraw Professor of Journalism at Princeton University, teaching political reporting to a group of undergraduate and graduate students. In the spring of 2009, Rowman & Littlefield published her first book, Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship Is Poisoning the House of Representatives.

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Future of U.S.-African Relations

Greg Garland, media and outreach coordinator for the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs, will discuss the future of U.S. relations with the countries of Africa.

A career U.S. Foreign Service officer, Greg Garland has served in Mozambique, Angola, Mexico, Guinea and Poland, as well as with the Jacksonville, Florida, International Relations Commission. A graduate of Duke University, he holds a master's degree from the University of North Carolina and a law degree from California Western School of Law.

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Ask the Ambassador: U.S.-Turkish Relations

Following the visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey, join Ambassador James Jeffrey for a discussion of next steps and important issues for both Turkey and the United States.

Ambassador James F. Jeffrey is the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and a career member of the Foreign Service. He previously served as an assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser. Before that he was the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State. He has served as senior adviser to the secretary of state for Iraq, as U.S. charge d’affairs to Iraq and as deputy chief of mission in Baghdad.

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Webcast – How to Run a Presidential Debate

The U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, Namibia, has been working to promote and strengthen democracy in Namibia through a dialogue with visiting American speakers. Its programs have examined American primaries, the general election and the historic inauguration of President Obama and have looked at African-American political progress through the lens of the civil rights movement and the historic Obama campaign. This digital videoconference will continue the dialogue with the Namibian government, the ruling party, opposition parties, civil society, media, youth groups, activists and the general public by discussing the importance of free and fair elections. Our guest will be Janet Brown.

Janet H. Brown serves as executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a position she has held since the CPD was established in 1987. The CPD is the nonpartisan, nonprofit corporation that sponsors and produces televised presidential debates during each general election.

If you would like to participate in this event, please go to http://www.cpcwebcast.com/state. No registration is needed. Simply sign in and choose "Submit & View Webcast."

The U.S. Bid for a Seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council

Atul Keshap, director of the State Department's Office of Human Rights, Humanitarian, and Social Affairs, will be chatting about the U.S. run for the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC). This is the United States' first run for a seat on the HRC. The decision to run reflects the U.S. view that the Human Rights Council must play its intended role as a balanced, credible and effective forum for the advancement of human rights but, to date, has not played such a role. A broader discussion about human rights is also welcome.

Atul Keshap, a career U.S. Foreign Service officer, helps lead U.S. efforts to coordinate human rights policy with regard to the United Nations system, coordinating closely with a broad range of U.S. government, nongovernmental organization and foreign diplomatic contacts.

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Giving Local Media a Voice

How can local media across the world ensure that the public is receiving the information it needs? Please join David Hoffman as he discusses the need for independent journalism in order to raise public awareness on pressing global issues.

David Hoffman is the president of Internews Network, a global nonprofit organization that fosters independent media and access to information worldwide. Co-founded by Hoffman in 1982, Internews Network has worked in 70 countries and currently has offices in 23 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Hoffman has written about media and democracy, as well as the Internet, and his articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and more. He has also testified before U.S. House and Senate committees on issues of press freedom and access to information.

Webcast - The Global Financial System

This "In Focus" broadcast will examine the world's current financial situation. Our two expert guests will discuss measures being taken to strengthen the U.S. economy, as well as possibilities for international financial cooperation. Our host post this month is Beijing, People's Republic of China. Both scholars will field questions from an audience in Beijing as well as make presentations prior to the question-and-answer session.


Allan H. Meltzer is a professor of political economy and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. He has been a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington since 1989. Dr. Meltzer's writings have appeared in numerous journals, and he is the author of several books and more than 300 papers on economic theory and policy.

Stuart P.M. Mackintosh is executive director of the Group of Thirty, which aims to deepen understanding of international economic and financial issues, to explore the international repercussions of decisions taken in the public and private sectors, and to examine the choices available to market practitioners and policymakers. His current areas of particular research attention include the structure of financial supervision, financial regulatory reform proposals for the United States, and methods of enhancing cooperation and coordination between national supervisors and central banks.

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Webcast – The New U.S. Administration: First 100 Days

The election of Barack Obama as president of the United States was an event watched widely around the globe. Political consultant Jeremy Rosner can give a unique perspective on the "First 100 Days" of the Obama administration, having provided guidance on NATO subjects over a number of years.

Dr. Jeremy M. Rosner, executive vice president of the public opinion research and strategic consulting firm Greenberg Quinlan Rosner in Washington, is one of the world’s leading consultants for political parties, candidates, governments, nongovernmental organizations and corporate leaders around the globe. He specializes in using sophisticated public opinion research to help global leaders design and implement winning political and communications strategies. His work as a pollster, campaign consultant, strategic adviser and expert on international affairs focuses heavily on the transitional countries of Central Europe and Latin America, and has been cited in many publications around the world.

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