On the morning of February 26, 2014, Meridian hosted a roundtable discussion with an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on “Conflict Sensitive Reporting,” in collaboration with the State Department. The ten members of the international media—from Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan and Tunisia—met with their U.S.-based peers working in support of freedom of speech and journalist safety, with a goal of expanding their support networks and increasing the resources available to facilitate their work at home and in the field. Included in the discussion were members of the media from the electronic, print, and broadcast mediums, citizen journalists, and human rights advocates. Meridian’s Director of Communications, Monique McSween, opened the program with welcome remarks, before introducing Kevin Klose, President and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, who chaired the discussion. Meridian was delighted to welcome the following participants to this important discussion: Hannah Allam, National Correspondent, McClatchy Newspapers; Ben Barber, Journalist, Huffington Post; Sunjeev Bery, Advocacy Director, Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International USA; Dr. Abderrahim Foukara, Bureau Chief of Al Jazeera’s Washington Bureau; William Gentile, Journalist in Residence, School of Communication, American University; Director, Foreign Correspondence Network; Michelle Mathew, International Center for Journalists; and Jorge Luis Sierra, Director of the Knight International Journalism Fellowships Program, International Center for Journalists. Topics covered during the roundtable ranged from identifying at risk sources to protecting one’s technology, and the sensitive material they contain. Following a thoughtful exchange, the visitors departed Washington, DC for their next destination in the U.S.: Portland, Oregon.
