Print Layout 1 - French-American Foundation

FRENCH-AMERICAN JOURNALIST SEMINARSFAF ANNUAL REPORT 2003-2004Washington, DCLoick BerrouTF1Gilles BiassetteLa CroixCelestine BohlenBloomberg NewsAnnick CojeanLe MondeTim ConnollyThe Dallas Morning NewsHubert CoudurierLe Telegramme de BrestHelle DaleThe Heritage FoundationHarold HymanRadio ClassiquePatrick JarreauLe MondeAmy KaslowCouncil on CompetitivenessJames KitfieldThe National JournalWilliam KristolThe Weekly StandardEli LakeUnited Press InternationalJonathan LandayKnight-Ridder NewspapersJoseph LimagneOuest FranceNathalie LoiseauFrench Embassy, Washington, DCPhilippe ManièreLa Lettre de l'ExpansionPascal RichéLiberationPaul RichterThe Los Angeles TimesChristophe de RoquefeuilAgence France PresseAndrew RossThe San Francisco ChronicleElissa RubinNightlineHoda Saliby-YehiaCourrier InternationalDavid SandsThe Washington TimesLaurence SimonRadio FranceNews coverage on both sides of the Atlantic is critical to understanding the tensionsaffecting relations between France and the United States. In an effort to eliminate some ofthe stereotypes and clarify the misunderstandings that currently cloud the relationship, theFrench-American Foundation produced a series of three seminars, each for a differentgroup of approximately twenty journalists from the United States and France.The first of these was held in Washington, DC, from June 12-14, 2003, in partnership withthe Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and was moderated by SimonSerfaty, Director of the European Studies Program at CSIS, and Tony Smith, President ofthe French-American Foundation. William Kristol from The Weekly Standard introduced thefirst session with Justin Vaïsse of the Brookings Institution. A discussion on the war on terrorismfollowed, led by Jon Alterman of CSIS and by Lee Wolonsky, former Director forTransnational Threats on the National Security Council. The luncheon keynote speech wasmade by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Robert Bradtke. LaterAaron Miller, President of Seeds of Peace and a former senior Middle East Peacenegotiator, directed a dialogue on the Middle East Peace Process. Finally, Antony Blinken,Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Hillel Weinberg, House Foreign RelationsCommittee, led a dialogue about the U.S. Congress. The group then attended a dinnerhosted by French Deputy Chief of Mission and Mrs. Denis Pietton, where remarks werepresented by James B. Steinberg, Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies atthe Brookings Institution and former Deputy National Security Advisor. Work the nextday focused on comparing journalism in the two countries. Featured panelists includedSeth Effron, who directs the Neiman Program at Harvard, Joseph Limagne of Ouest France,Philippe Manière of La Lettre de l’Expansion, Christophe de Rocquefeuil of Agence FrancePresse and Andrew Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle.Chicago was the venue for the second seminar implemented in cooperation with theRobert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, from July 11-14, 2004. A welcome dinner atthe rare book library of the Field Museum of Natural History kicked off the event.Curator Bob Martin introduced the Museum’s priceless collections and researchprojects, and Librarian Ben Williams shared his passion for rare books, showcasingsome of the library’s most interesting volumes dating back to the sixteenth century, andopening the library's private room for an exceptional opportunity to view Napoleon’sEgyptian texts and Darwin’s original volumes.The next morning, the journalists were received at the Chicago Tribune, where ManagingEditor James O'Shea answered questions about the daily management of the newspaper,including foreign correspondents and bureaus, circulation, marketing, and the Internet,among others. Following the meeting, participants gathered at the Chicago CulturalCenter, where they were greeted by the Mayor's Director of Protocol Eileen Hubbell andlearned about the city from Paul O'Connor, Executive Director of World BusinessChicago, Ed Uhlir, Director of the Millennium Park Project, and Janet Carl Smith, CityCommissioner for Cultural Affairs.The afternoon discussion focused on social issues. American jounnalists were particularlycurious about the recent law concerning head scarves in French schools. TheirFrench counterparts questioned the growing role of religion in U.S. life. At dinner, avery provocative presentation on Jacques Chirac’s foreign policy by Dr. Simon Serfatyprovided the impetus for extremely animated discussions during the rest of the eveningand the remainder of the conference.12