Freedom of the Press Tour

October 10, 2005, New York, New York
Contact: New York Foreign Press Center
Telephone: 212-317-8325, Email: nyfpc@state.gov

Media representatives from 11 countries participated in the tour designed to present a range of journalistic styles through visits to three media outlets.  The tour elicited a lively exchange of  'Q&A' and was described by one participant as "extremely educational."  The reporters, hailing from France, Japan, Russia, China, Brazil, Colombia, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Mexico and Finland, visited the offices of The New York Sun, The New York Times and independent radio station WNYC.  Representatives from the three outlets explained each organization's right-of-center (The Sun), left-of-center(NYT), and middle-of-the-road (WNYC) socio-political perspectives, and answered questions as to why each outlet maintained its position.  The WNYC News Director also explained the necessity of fund-raising to many who were unfamiliar with the concept of non sponsor-affiliated radio.  By the end of the day, the visiting journalists expressed a much better understanding of the way in which U.S. press freedom engenders and encourages particular viewpoints, and informs the public on a variety of issues.