Economics and Business: Near Eastern Affairs Journalists Reporting Tour

September 15 – 28, 2002
Contact: Washington FPC – Algis Silas, Program Officer for Middle East and North Africa and South Asia
Tel: (202) 504-6317; email: SilasA@state.gov

The Washington FPC, in collaboration with the International Press Center/Chicago Office of Tourism and the NYFPC, organized a 12-day reporting tour to Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York City for six economic / business journalists from Algeria, Jordan, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.

The group meet with government officials from the Departments of State, Commerce and Treasury to discuss the U.S. and Middle East trade, business relationships and transparent governance. They also met with Voice of America / Radio Sawa representatives. Furthermore, the group met with national and local Arab and Muslim American leaders, journalists and members of the local communities in Washington, D.C., Chicago and New York City to discuss the business history, current business ventures, business transparency and the present business environment within the Arab and Muslim American communities.

The reporters also went to Chicago and visited the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Crain’s Chicago Business and the Chicago Tribune -- meeting with Editor and Chief Rance Crain, and the Chicago Tribune Business Editor Robert Karwath. The group also visited and meet with the President and board members of the United Trust Bank, a majority Arab American owned bank.

The group also visited New York City and met with Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of the Wall Street Journal, and William Spindle, the WSJ's news editor for Africa and the Middle East; a special tour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's international exhibits including the Islamic Art collection; a historical tour of the downtown financial district; a discussion at the New York Stock Exchange; a visit with Lou Dobbs of CNN's "Moneyline"; a meeting with a representative of the international division of Bloomberg news services; a discussion with the Middle East expert from the Committee to Protect Journalists; and a visit with Sheik Fahdel Al-Khoei, an Iraqi-American with the Islamic Center in Jamaica, Queens