International Journalists On Reporting Tour In Washington DC

Nine journalists from six countries including Ghana, Brazil, Kenya, United Kingdom and Pakistan are currently in Washington DC to participate in a reporting tour that would culminate in the covering of the one-year term of office of the Donald Trump administration.

The 18-day tour being organized by the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ) based in Washington DC, with sponsorship from the United States (US) Government, would afford the visiting journalists the opportunity to meet variety of media and political experts who will brief them on issues pertaining to the economy and trade, immigration, health care and foreign policy.

This will help broaden their knowledge on such policies to be abreast with how the US systems including the three-branch of Government work as well as its relationship with the media, for them to explore issues that are relevant to the people and report on them to their home countries.

They will have site visit among others the “Newseum”, a museum on news evolution in Washington DC.

The Journalists will also be attached to newsrooms in the “Rust Belt” States including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan after a three-day orientation course in Washington DC, to report on a myriad of issues concerning the Trump administration.

Many Americans in the “Rust Belt” States hold the view that the Federal Government had failed to listen to their voices or meet their demands, hence, Journalists reporting from these States would solicit the views of citizens on how Trump had fared in that regard.

Ms. Zainab Imam, Project Manager of ICFJ intimated that the Tour which started on Wednesday, January 10, was part of a programme dubbed “2018 Covering the US Presidency Reporting Programme” being implemented jointly by US Embassy posts and her outfit to coincide with the President’s first year in office.

The Programme was a build-up on ICFJ’s successful implementation of the “2016 General Elections Reporting Programme” and the “2017 First 100 Days Reporting Programme” which respectively brought 23 journalists from 15 countries and 12 from six countries to Washington DC to report on the two major political events.

The ICFJ is a top-notch media Professional Fellowship that among others, empowers journalists across the globe with well-tailored programmes on best practices to enhance their careers.

With an experience spanning 34 years, the ICFJ is at the forefront of the news evolution and had worked with 100,000 media professionals and citizen journalists in more than 180 countries across the world to enhance quality journalism by training them to combine best journalism practices with new technologies.