The Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowships (APJF) program was initiated in 1998 for the purpose of strengthening understanding between Asia and the United States through study, dialogue and field study in the Asia Pacific for American journalists. Each program offers opportunities for six to eight senior American broadcast, print, and online journalists to participate.
The 2012 Asia Pacific Journalism Fellowships, scheduled for June 11 - 24, 2012, took eight US journalists to Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; and Seoul, South Korea. The APJF program in Singapore and Taiwan included high-level meetings with government officials as well as business, civic, cultural and religious leaders; NGOs; and other community members to gain a deeper understanding of these important economies and societies.
In Seoul, journalists participated in the East-West Center’s Third International Media Conference titled “Networked News: How New Media is Shaping Stories in Asia and the Pacific.” More than 300 journalists from the United States and throughout the Asia Pacific region participated in this conference, one of the largest professional media gatherings of its kind in Asia. The conference included keynote speakers and panels of journalists. Further details can be found at http://www.ewc50.org/mediaconference2012/
Funding: East-West Center, Shih Hsin University in Taiwan and Singapore International Foundation
Costs of the study tour, including airfare, lodging, ground transportation and program meals are provided.
In Taipei, the journalists examined current cross-strait relations and expectations for the future through several sessions with government leaders and academics. For instance, the group met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kuo-yu Tung, regarding President Ma’s engagement policy and the resulting improvement of relations between Taiwan and China. A session with Dr. Su Chi of the Taipei Forum Foundation helped to provide the journalists with greater detail and understanding of the political parties in Taiwan and their differing viewpoints regarding a rising China. The journalists also explored how the US-Taiwan bilateral relationship has evolved and how it factors into cross-straits relations in a meeting with William Stanton, Director of the American Institute in Taiwan. Another highlight of the Taipei program was the guided tour of the National Palace Museum and its treasures. The Fellows were grateful for this special opportunity to better understand Taiwan’s history, culture and arts. They were also very appreciative of their meeting with Minister of Culture, Dr. Yingtai Lung, and her perspective on why Taiwan better represents traditional Chinese culture than the communist mainland. Finally, the journalists benefited from a tour of the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering and their discussion with Director Kuo-Chun Chang.
The 2012 Asia Pacific Journalism Fellows:
- Ben Birnbaum, Foreign Affairs Reporter, The Washington Times, Washington, DC, United States
- Craig Gima, Assistant City Editor, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
- David Gurien, Senior Writer, CNN International, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- Peter Krouse, Reporter The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, United States
- Michael Moyer, Senior Editor, Scientific American, New York City, New York, United States
- Eric Owles, Chief Producer-Online, The New York Times, New York City, New York, United States
- Michelle Quinn, Silicon Valley Reporter, Politico.com, Oakland, California, United States
- Jason Scanlon, Editor and Producer, FOX News Channel, Washington, DC, United States
Program Coordinator, Seminars
East-West Center
1601 East-West Road
Honolulu, HI 96848, USA
Phone: 808-944-7384; Fax: 808-944-7600
Email: dorne@eastwestcenter.org
