In a country where a stable government is slowly starting to emerge after years of conflict, Knight International worked with radio journalists to monitor political leaders. Knight Fellow Vianney Missumbi also helped improve election coverage, despite repeated postponements of the vote. He revived a journalism association and enabled reporters to break stories that are prompting local officials to address important issues.

Marquita Smith is a Knight International Journalism Fellow who helped launch the Judicial Reporters Network in Liberia. Smith formed this association and trained its members to cover the country’s fledgling legal system. Inspired by Smith, Ora Garway, a journalist in the association, launched a newspaper called The Punch that focuses on legal reporting. Garway was the country’s first woman managing editor. Smith returned to Liberia in June 2010 to help Garway develop a business plan for the new newspaper and create a website featuring coverage of the justice system.

Readers and listeners all over the world enjoyed special insight into the U.S. presidential election as a result of the Elections 2008 Visiting Journalists Program, which brought 48 journalists from 46 countries to cover the historic campaign and vote.

The Scripps Howard Immigration reporting training program brings together journalists from the U.S. Spanish and English-language media for a week-long training on how to cover immigration issues using multimedia tools.

ICFJ is currently seeking applicants for the 2012 Scripps immigration reporting program. The program is scheduled to take place Sunday July 15, 2012 through Sunday July 22, 2012 in Washington, D.C.

The application deadline is Monday May 28, 2012.

The 2012 program will have a special focus on the U.S. 2012 presidential election and immigration.