Ten top newsroom managers of daily newspapers are invited to the United States for a five-week program, including four weeks at a host newspaper where visiting editors can observe all aspects of producing a U.S. daily, and are invited to exchange ideas and information with the host newsroom staff and community about cultural and journalistic issues. The program, administered by the International Center for Journalists, is open to editors who have worked in journalism for at least five years, are currently employed by a daily newspaper, and are proficient in English, but have no substantial previous travel to the United States. Applicants must be from outside of Western Europe and North America.
Priority is given to editors from countries in transition to democratic rule.
Program aimed at promoting better understanding of the principles of press freedom and the U.S. media among foreign journalists. During the four-month residency, participants take courses at host universities in the United States, attend lectures and seminars, and spend time at news agencies across the country. The Freedom Forum covers travel costs and basic living expenses, but does not pay a salary or honorarium. This year's participants include 12 journalists from print and broadcast from Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Malaysia, Moldova, and Zambia. Participants must be working journalists with at least two years of experience with proficiency in written and spoken English.