Through Their Eyes: Foreign Correspondents in the United States

The U.S. government devotes considerable resources to conducting “public diplomacy” overseas, but foreign correspondents reporting from inside the United States still play a crucial role in shaping how the world views the nation and its policies. Yet, there has been little thoughtful examination of the foreign press in America. Who are the correspondents? How do they work? What do they report?

Brookings senior fellow emeritus Stephen Hess, in his recent book, Through Their Eyes: Foreign Correspondents in the United States (February 2006), examines the foreign press corps to help explain why the world sees the United States as it does. Informed by scores of interviews and original survey research, Hess–a pioneer in the field of media studies–reveals the mindset of journalists from a wide range of countries.

Hess moderated a panel discussion with foreign correspondents Nadia Bilbassy Charters, senior correspondent for Al Arabiya; Karin Henriksson, Washington bureau chief for Swenska Dagbladet; Takashi Sakamoto, Washington correspondent for Yomiuri Shimbun, and Christoph von Marschall U.S. Correspondent and Washington Bureau Chief, Der Tagesspiegel.