ICFJ Newsletter

02.26.2008

Welcome to ICFJ News, our new monthly newsletter. We have many exciting initiatives for 2008, and we intend to share them with you through articles, video clips, podcasts, and photos.

Our spotlight this month is on China. Last September we launched the Global Business Journalism Program (GBJ) at prestigious Tsinghua University in Beijing. This groundbreaking initiative is designed to produce a new generation of Chinese journalists able to report on the complex world of global business, finance and economics. We also provide workshops for professional business journalists.

This program is truly unique. It features international professors, a global student body (13 from China, six from other countries) and a cutting-edge curriculum taught in English. The facilities are first-rate: Students even have access to ten Bloomberg terminals. In class, the students compare business practices in China with those in other major economies, sparking fascinating debates and discussions.

The program's founding sponsors are Merrill Lynch, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Bloomberg and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.

In this issue, you'll learn about our courses and workshops and hear from the dean of the program, the faculty and the students. Some highlights:

Ethical Dilemmas
Conflicts of interest, use of anonymous sources, and codes of ethics were some of the issues tackled at an ethics workshop for Chinese business journalists. Bob Dowling, formerly of BusinessWeek, led this seminar. Read more»

Transforming China's Media Landscape
Executive Dean of the Tsinghua School of Journalism and Communication Li Xiguang says the Global Business Journalism Program will shake up traditional journalism education. Watch the video»

"There is a Misconception…That Every Journalist in China is a Bad Journalist"
In an interview, Professor Dowling discusses the challenges–and rewards–of teaching business journalism in China.
Read more»

The Students Speak Out
Want to know what the first class of students think about this program? "With the program’s workshop-style discussions and brainstorming open-class style," says Crystal Liu 刘琪, "I've learned how to cover the fast-changing world of business, economics and finance..." Read more»

I hope you agree that this program is setting the standard for business journalism education in China. We welcome any ideas you may have on this or any other ICFJ program. Submit your comments online by clicking here.

Thanks for your support-and stay tuned.

Best regards,

Joyce Barnathan
President

A word of thanks for our sponsors...

ICFJ is so grateful to each of our generous sponsors. In addition to being strong supporters of GBJ, the sponsors have spearheaded these initiatives:

New Financial Glossary: Merrill Lynch is publishing a comprehensive glossary of financial terms in Chinese and English, with an introduction by Dean Li Xiguang. This valuable resource will be available in March.
Financial Expertise: Deloitte is providing accounting experts for the academic program and for workshops for professional journalists.
Enterprising Internships: Merrill has arranged for four top students to work in communications at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2008. Bloomberg is offering two internships in its China operations.
International Conference: Inspired by Knight Foundation, a conference on the future of business journalism drew prominent economists, business leaders, editors and journalism educators. Read more »

The first class of students in our Global Business Journalism Program at Tsinghua University

Upcoming Programs and Events

March 1
Deadline for broadcast, online and print journalists to apply for The Arthur F. Burns Journalism Fellowship, an exchange program for U.S. and German broadcast, online and print journalists. Apply now»

March 3
Washington, D.C. reception for our 2008 Knight International Journalism Fellows plus a screening of Egyptian documentaries produced by trainees of 2007 Knight Fellow Craig Duff. RSVP now»

March 3
Deadline for Arab journalists to apply for new, online course: How To Create A News Web Site, led in Arabic by veteran online journalist Daoud Kuttab. Apply now»

March 9
Interested in reporting on a local story with a global angle? U.S. journalists in print, broadcast and online can work abroad with the World Affairs Journalism Fellowship. Apply by March 9»

ICFJ's Global Impact

Podcast: Iraqi Journalist Shadha Al-Jubori Shares Impact of Knight International Award on Her Career»

Program Spotlight: Trainees of ICFJ's Investigative Reporting Program in Azerbaijan Make Waves With Their Hard-Hitting Stories on Corruption, Social Issues and More»

News Release: ICFJ Announces Innovative Workshop to Prepare Latin American and U.S. Journalists to Cover Disasters »

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