U.S. Elections - Indonesian Journalists

April 19-May 2, 2004, Washington, DC, Pittsburgh, Pa, Los Angeles, Ca.
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Program Officer: Joe Bookbinder
Telephone: 202-504-6354, Email:bookbinderja@state.gov

Five Indonesian journalists participated in a reporting tour on "U.S. Elections" from April 19 to May 2, 2004.  The journalists, whose newspapers have a combined circulation of nearly one million, visited Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Los Angeles.  In Washington, they conducted interviews with experts on grassroots organizing, political polling, television advertising, campaign finance, the role of Foreign Policy in the 2004 elections, and the work of the League of Women Voters.  The group also interviewed politically active high school and university students, attended a live broadcast of CNN's "Crossfire" and enjoyed a VIP tour of the Capitol.

In Pittsburgh, the journalists had a close-up view of the Pennsylvania Primary and took advantage of numerous opportunities to interview voters and election officials.  They also met with Pittsburgh's Republican and Democratic Committee Chairpersons, the President of the Islamic Center of Pittsburgh, a prominent investigative journalists, a leading television political analyst and the top assistant to a City Councilman to get their views on elections and democracy in the U.S.

Finally, in Los Angeles, the group took part in an excellent series of briefings organized by the Foreign Press Center that included California's political system and initiative process, its political trends, Asian American participation in elections and lobbying, previews of high technology voting machines and opportunities to meet with the local Indonesian community.