Study Tour for Pakistani Journalists (March 24-April 4):  Washington, D.C., New York City and Columbia, Missouri

Pakistani journalists will have an opportunity to explore U.S. policy toward Pakistan and learn more about the U.S. system of government and democracy during a visit to Washington, DC. The New York City program will feature discussions about media coverage of Pakistan and the residual effects of 9/11 on U.S. relations with the Muslim world. Finally, participants will see a very different part of the United States in Columbia, Missouri. The prestigious Missouri School of Journalism will host a program that includes discussion sessions covering topics such as multi-sourcing stories; roles and responsibilities of media in a democracy; the media's relationship with government, military and business; and the impact of new media and new technologies on newsgathering. It also will provide unique opportunities to experience small town and rural Midwestern American life and a chance to interact with American citizens from diverse backgrounds.

Study Tour for the U.S. Journalists (March 26-April 4): Islamabad and Karachi, Pakistan

American journalists will have a chance to better understand the situation on the ground in Pakistan and explore Pakistani attitudes and perspectives toward the United States. Meetings will focus on Pakistan’s system of government and democracy, its economic challenges and the role of religion in Pakistani culture and life. Additionally, they will have a chance to observe Pakistan’s media environment and discuss coverage of the United States there. The program will start in the capital city of Islamabad for meetings with policymakers, analysts, students, and others. Journalists will then travel to Karachi, Pakistan's business capital and port city to explore economic development and relationships, discuss media issues, and better understand Pakistan’s political challenges. The program will also feature home visits with Pakistani families and an opportunity to engage with a wide range of Pakistani citizens.

Honolulu Program (March 21-23, and April 4-7)

The program opens with two-days of briefings and discussions at the East-West Center in Honolulu (March 21-23). Journalists will engage in dialogue sessions on the key issues and challenges in the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. After their respective study tour programs, the journalists will return to Honolulu (April 4-7) to share their new perspectives on the relationship and one another’s countries based on their on-the-ground meetings and visits, and will discuss ways to improve media coverage.  

Who Can Apply:  Working print, broadcast, and online journalists in Pakistan and the United States, with a minimum of five years of professional experience. Applicants must have the ability to communicate in English in a professional, multi-cultural environment and must be citizens of either Pakistan or the United States.

Funding:  Round trip airfare for the study tour travel, lodging, visa expenses and per diem to cover meals and incidentals are provided by the East-West Center through a grant from the U.S. Embassy Islamabad Public Affairs Section.

Congratulations to the 2012 Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange Participants:

American Journalists

Ms. Terry Anzur, News Anchor, KFI News, Burbank, California

Ms. Tara Bahrampour, Immigration Reporter, Washington Post, Washington, DC

Mr. Dan Boyce, Capitol Bureau Chief, Montana Public Radio, Helena, Montana

Mr. John Diaz, Editorial Page Editor, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco, California

Ms. Larisa Epatko, Reporter-Producer for Foreign Affairs, PBS News Hour, Arlington, Virginia

Ms. Jenna Fisher, Asia Editor, The Christian Science Monitor, Boston, Massachusetts

Pakistani Journalists

Mr. Shabbir Ahmad, Producer, Geo TV Network, Islamabad

Mr. Mahboob Ali, Correspondent, Geo TV Network, Mingora, Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Mr. Sajid Hussain, Assistant Editor, The News International, Karachi

Mr. Abdul Ghani Kakar, Chief Investigative Reporter, Daily Awam, Quetta, Balochistan

Mr. Azam Khan, Reporter, Radio Pakistan, Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Ms. Aneela Khalid Khan, Freelance Reporter, Radio Mashaal, Islamabad

Ms. Sumeera Riaz, News Producer, Express News TV, Lahore

Ms. Imrana Saghar, Reporter, Daily Express, Multan, Punjab

Mr. Mushtaq Sarki, Reporter, Sindh TV News, Karachi

Ms. Hafsah Syed, Executive Producer/Head of Features, Dawn News TV, Karachi

The 2011 Pakistan-United States Journalists Exchange was held from April 6-22 and provided eight Pakistani and five American journalists the opportunity to visit each other’s country and learn firsthand the complexities of the relationship between their two countries. Both groups met at the East-West Center before and after their study tours.

The Pakistan journalists started their 9-day U.S. visit in Washington, D.C., where they met with officials at the U.S. State Department, shared lunch at the Pentagon with soldiers who had served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan; and Capitol Hill, where they heard firsthand the complicated issues surrounding US aid to Pakistan. American businesses already in Pakistan or hoping to invest there shared the difficulties in dealing with Pakistan’s bureaucracy. The next stop was New York City, where they talked with many Muslim-Americans about life in America since 9/11; heard opinions regarding the proposed Islamic Center next to Ground Zero; and listened to moving testimonies from family members who lost loved ones in the World Trade Center attacks. Their last destination was Columbia, Missouri where they learned the latest US media trends and challenges from experts at the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism. They also experienced life in the US heartland at farms, churches, city government offices and the Islamic Center of Central Missouri.

The American journalists started their travel in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, where they explored the Pakistan-US relationship with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of Parliament, Pakistan’s army, the U.S. Embassy, analysts and business leaders. They talked with students from Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) about the impact of the war on terror in those areas and were hosted for dinner in the homes of prominent Pakistani journalists. Meetings in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, juxtaposed Pakistan’s contrasts; the journalists visited a conservative madrassah school, met with leaders of Pakistan’s Islamic party Jamaat-i-Islami, and spoke with liberal journalist Najam Sethi and one of Pakistan’s leading human rights lawyers, Hina Jilani. They explored economic, education and political participation issues in rural and slum areas and then met with students at the elite Lahore Institute of Management Sciences.

In their stories that resulted from the program and in public presentations along the way, journalists offered unique insights into relations between the United States and Pakistan; the wars in Afghanistan and against terrorism; on-the-ground perspectives of Americans and Pakistanis about each other’s countries; difficulties and dangers faced by Pakistan’s media; and how their perspectives had changed after traveling in the two countries.

The Pakistan-U.S. Journalists Exchange was funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Slideshow of Pakistan-US Journalists Exchange

Overview and audio recording of Pakistani journalists sharing their views on "Rising Extremism in Pakistan: Perspectives from the Media" at a public forum held at the East-West Center Washington, DC office, Monday, April 11.

Pakistani journalists were interviewed by Missouri School of Journalism students about media in Pakistan and Pakistan-US issues. You can read and hear their interviews in the Global Journalist.

The May 2011 issue of East-West MediaLine, a periodic newsletter for journalists published by the East-West Center, focuses on US-Pakistan relations in the aftermath of Osama bin Laden's death.

The 2011 Pakistan-United States Journalists Exchange participants:

Pakistan

• Mr. Syed Wiqas Ahmad, Assistant Controller News, Khyber TV Channel, Peshawar

• Mr. Aamir Latif Arain, Bureau Chief, Online News Network, Karachi

• Mr. Malik Arshad Aziz, News Editor, Daily Aaj, Peshawar

• Mr. Muhammad Ejaz Khan, Bureau Chief, Geo TV/The News International, Quetta

• Mr. Muhammad Aftab Qureshi, Reporter/Sub-Editor, Associated Press of Pakistan, Islamabad

• Ms. Henna Saeed, Reporter/Associate Producer, Dawn News TV, Lahore

• Ms. Mehmal Sarfraz, Op-Ed Editor, Daily Times, and Joint Secretary of South Asian Women in Media, Lahore

• Mr. Kamal Siddiqi, Editor, The Express Tribune, Karachi

United States   

• Mr. Christopher Beam, Political Reporter, Slate Magazine, Washington, DC

• Ms. Gina Kim, Staff Writer, The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento, California

• Mr. Eric Owles, Chief Producer-Online, The New York Times, New York City

• Mr. Bigad Shaban, Reporter, WVUE-TV (Fox affiliate), New Orleans, Louisiana

• Ms. Karen Fragala-Smith, Editorial Coordinator, Newsweek, New York

For full biographies of the participating journalists, please click here.