July 6, 2010

International Reporting Project to send journalists to Liberia

The destination of the SAIS International Reporting Project’s next Gatekeepers Editors Trip will be Liberia.

Gatekeepers are senior journalists who determine editorial content at any type of media organization.

The trip to Liberia, scheduled for Nov. 7 to 18 for up to 12 U.S. journalists, will focus on issues such as health, environment, economic recovery and development, women’s rights, refugee resettlement and the search for political stability after a 14-year civil war that left an estimated 200,000 people dead in the country of 3 million. Gatekeepers will meet with a wide cross section of Liberians to learn how the country and the region are recovering from the 1989–2003 conflict that has required the continuing presence of U.N. peacekeepers. Applications are available online.

Previous gatekeepers have visited China, Peru, Kenya, Turkey, Uganda, Korea, Nigeria, Egypt, India, Lebanon/Syria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia.

The IRP is an independent program run by journalists for journalists, and is based at SAIS. It is funded by private nonpartisan foundations and individuals.