The Jeremiad Over Journalism

Meyerheim at American University in Washington D.C. in 1982. 418 Of the 21 names appearing on
Public Affair Officer Kallan‘s list, among these Professor Isi Foighel, Attorney General Per
Lindegaard and Member of Parliament Ole Espersen, seven worked, at least part time, as journalists
and an eighth, Bo Green Jensen, listed as ―poet‖ ended up working for the weekly newspaper
Weekendavisen. No other profession had more than two names represented on the list unless
academics from such diverse fields as English and Physics are counted as one group. 419
The reason that the list is filled with names of Danish journalists is perhaps that journalists have a
relatively greater public profile than architects or Professors of chemistry, but in the eyes of Kallas
it is obvious that quite a number of journalists had become ―prominent,‖ after their Fulbright
exchange to the United States. From the more recent Fulbright and DAF grant recipients, Ulrik
Haagerup and Anders Krab-Johansen both hold leadership positions with national Danish media
outlets. 420
The opportunities for exchange continued to increase for Danish journalists after the end of World
War II. In connection with the American bi-centennial in 1976, a stipend was established for Danish
students to do six-month internships with the Danish immigrant newspapers in Chicago and Los
Angeles respectively while finishing off their internship by spending a semester at an American
418 G. J. Kallas, "Prominent Fulbrighters," (Rigsarkivet. 10754. Danmark-Amerika Fondet og Fullb. K. 1946-1988.
Korrespondance. 1972-1988. Box 153. March 18, 1986). ―Below follows a list of prominent Danish Fulbright grantees
from the inception of the program in 1952 until the present: (…) Haagerup, Niels Jorgen. Journalist. Former Member of
the European Paliament. Research Scholar in Intenational Relations, Tufts University, Mass., 1952. (…) Mohn, Bent.
Editor of Film, literature, and theater, Politiken daily newspaper. Graduate student in American literature, University of
California/Berkeley, 1955. (…) Borum, Poul. Poet. Lietrary Critic, Ekstra Bladet daily newspaper. Visiting Lecturer in
Poetry, University of Iowa, 1971. (…) Bredsdorff, Thomas. Professor of Nordic Philology, Univeristy of Copenhagen.
Cultural Correspondent Politiken daily newspaper. Graduate student in German Languages and literatures, Harvard
University, 1972. Rachlin, Samuel. Editor, nyhedsmagasinet Borsen weekly newspaper. Former corespondent [sic] for
the Danish State Radio in Moscow. Graduate Student in Journalism, Columbia, 1976. Mariager, Ann. Journalist,
Nyhedsmagasinet Borsen weekly newspaper. Graduate student in Journalism, Columbia University, 1978. (…)
Meyerheim, Michael. Foreign corrspondent [sic] to Politiken daily newspaper, Washington DC. Graduate student in
journalism, American University, Washington, DC, 1982.‖
419 Ibid.
420 Many editors also experienced American journalism before or during their promotion to get a feel for the latest
tendencies in the media environment. Herbert Pundik was sent to Washington Post before he took over at Politiken,
Karl Jack was in the United States before he became the foreign editor of Aarhuus Stiftstidende, and Per Westergaard
attended a seminar on reader habits and lay out in the United States while serving as chief sub-editor of Børsen. Gitte
Tækker, "Kør Den Lige Til Stregen [Taking It to the Line]," Journalisten, November 21, 1990. Page 6-7. See also
Herbert Pundik, Du Kan Hvis Du Tør [You Can If You Dare] (Skive: Gyldendal, 2007). Page 42. Also Jack, "Skærpet
Konkurrence Kræver Flere Journalister [Enhanced Competition Requires More Journalists]." Page 22-25.
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