Foreign Correspondents’ Perspectives: Covering the Anti-Terrorism War from Washington

After initially focusing on the many media issues confronted daily by American print and broadcast reporters covering the anti-terrorism campaign, the Brookings/Harvard “The Press and The War” project next turns to the special challenges faced by newspaper and network reporters covering developments in America for an enormous audience in other countries. Led by Stephen Hess, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Marvin Kalb, executive director of Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center, the discussion will focus on the special problems encountered by foreign reporters based in America, including access, perspective, and background.

Two of the journalists on the panel will discuss their roles reporting for largely Muslim audiences on America’s response to a terrorism threat from Islamic extremists. One of these panelists represents Al-Jazeera, the international Arab-language satellite news network that has stirred controversy with its broadcasts of videotaped statements by Osama bin Laden.

This forum is organized in conjunction with the Foreign Press Center.