Communications and Society Program

Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism at the U.S. State Department

The annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism at the U.S. Department of State has been organized by the Communications and Society Program since 2006. The Symposium is part of the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists which brings more than 150 international journalists from more than 100 countries to the United States for a three week visit.

The 6th annual Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism was held at the U.S. Department of State on October 25, 2011. See Press Release. For more information, please contact Kiahna Williams.

Past Symposiums:

The 5th annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism
U.S. Department of State Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program
Washington, D.C., October 27, 2010

The Communications and Society Program kicked off the 5th annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism with remarks from Ambassador William J. Burns, Under Secretary for Political Affairs, and Dr. Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of Policy Planning at U.S. Department of State. Afterward the international group of journalists had a discussion with Bob Woodward. Mr. Woodward reflected on topics such as the Watergate Scandal, his coverage of American presidents, Wikileaks, social media, and he shared his core principles of investigative journalism. The visiting journalists also engaged with Arianna Huffington (The Huffington Post), Hisham Melhem (Al-Arabiya), Amy Walter (ABC News) Ellen Weiss (NPR), Charles Sennott (GlobalPost), Cynthia Tucker (Atlanta Journal Constitution) and Terence Smith (“The News Hour with Jim Lehrer”), covering issues such as U.S. news coverage of international affairs and the 2010 American elections. The exchanges between panelists and journalists from countries all over the world was inspiring. As Edward R. Murrow said, "The real crucial link in the international communication chain is the last three feet... one person talking to another."

See State Department Announcement.

The 4th annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism
U.S. Department of State Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program
Washington, D.C., October 29, 2009

Among the highlights of the 2009 Symposium were Aspen Institute President Walter Isaacson’s conversation with Bob Woodward of The Washington Post and two distinguished panels of American journalists, publishers and executives.  Bob Woodward shared insights from his celebrated career covering the leading figures and institutions of American democracy, including anecdotes from his 3 and ½ hours interviewing President George W. Bush on the Iraq War. He then engaged in a lively 30-minute exchange with the visiting journalists.  Woodward expressed his own admiration for his audience, citing the courage that it takes to engage in investigative journalism in many parts of the world today, and he encouraged them to continue to do the difficult work of shoe leather reporting in pursuit of the truth.

Mark Whitaker, NBC News Senior Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief, led a discussion among CNN’s Jill Dougherty, the New York Times' David Sanger, and NPR Foreign Editor Loren Jenkins about the state of foreign affairs coverage in the United States today.  With Afghanistan, the rise of the G-20 and other international stories much in the news lately, the topic was timely and relevant. Dougherty expressed the difficulty of reporting foreign news in a new era without the language or clear architecture for expressing the new world order.  The tendency, she noted, was to fall back on old, Cold War-era metaphors and constructs.  Several visiting journalists peppered the panel with questions challenging the accuracy and objectivity of U.S. media reporting, particularly in the Middle East. The second panel, moderated by C&S Program Executive Director Charlie Firestone, examined social media’s impact on journalism in the U.S. and abroad with panelists Donna Byrd, Publisher of TheRoot.com; Caroline Little, President and CEO for North America, Guardian News & Media; Lauren McCullough, Social Networks & Special Projects Producer for The Associated Press; and Jon Sawyer, Executive Director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

See State Department Announcement.

The 3rd annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism
U.S. Department of State Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program
Washington, D.C., October 7, 2008

The 2nd annual Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism
The U.S. Department of State Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program
Washington, D.C., April 25, 2007

The Aspen Institute Symposium on Critical Issues in Journalism
The U.S. Department of State Edward R. Murrow Journalism Program
Washington, D.C., April 4, 2006