Events – Page 2 – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

October 10, 2023April 23, 2024

Remembering Fulbright: The Senator, The Program, And Public Diplomacy

Dr. Lonnie R. Johnson, former Executive Director of the binational Fulbright Commission in Austria, spoke on the history of the education exchange known as the Fulbright Scholars Program, named after its founder Senator J. William Fulbright from Arkansas. This presentation was October’s First Monday Forum, IPDGC’s collaborative event with the Public Diplomacy Council of America.

Fulbright’s commitment to global peace came followed the horrific experiences of World War 2; he would become an outspoken opponent of US involvement in Vietnam. However, as a Southern man of the time, he was also consistently opposed legislation that would protect the civil rights of Black Americans during the 50s. This has resulted in the struggle within the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to rebrand the program.

Johnson disagrees with this move and has written about the need to recognize the need for a truthful telling of this history and questions efforts to exclude references to Fulbright and his foundational vision. “U.S. public diplomacy should be fact-based… the Fulbright program without J. William Fulbright doesn’t make sense,” Johnson said.

He added that the erasure of Fulbright and his contributions from his namesake program runs counter to its commitment to a free and honest exchange of ideas, and threatens to damage public perception of the program at home and abroad. In April this year, he posted his views in an open letter to the global Fulbright community. Johnson is currently writing a book on the history and contributions of Sen. J. William Fulbright to foreign policy and international education programs.

Joel Fischmann, PDCA President in closing the forum commented, “We need the reminder that these bigger-than-life historical figures have flaws”.

Johnson traveled from Vienna, Austria to speak at the event held at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs.

https://youtu.be/T_AaM-a8QJE?si=E2OG2NPOdrViyjDM

Recording of the October First Monday Forum: Remembering Fulbright

October 4, 2023April 23, 2024

Connecting cultures

A workshop on building cultural diplomacy programs

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

In mid-September, IPDGC kicked off its workshop on cultural diplomacy programming “Connecting Cultures: Cultural Diplomacy and Engagement Workshop”, collaborating with the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. The workshop was conceived with the two-pronged purpose of broadening awareness about cultural diplomacy, and encouraging GW students to consider how their fields of study can be part of U.S. global engagement.

Highly experienced trainers with nonprofit, American Voices, John Ferguson and Amr Selim – both acclaimed musicians – will be conducting this free, hybrid workshop. American Voices is the implementing partner for the U.S. Department of State’s American Music Abroad Program and the Arts Envoy Program.

On Friday, September 29, the in-person session was held at a beautiful at the Flagg Building, home to the Corcoran School (originally the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1869). John and Amr led discussions with GW student participants about navigating foreign environments, the importance of sustainable programming, and exploring different avenues for funding.

In different sessions of the workshop, participants met with cultural specialists who Zoomed in to share their expertise in cultural programming – dancers, singers, filmmakers, and other creative talents from all over the globe. They also met with former U.S. diplomats who encouraged their efforts as part of U.S. engagement and shared tips on funding and building networks.

At the end of the workshop. participants will present their proposals for a cultural program using the ideas and guidance from the sessions.

Dean Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School, dropped in for a quick visit and expressed her enthusiasm for the workshop; sharing how cultural diplomacy programs dovetail well with international development work.

The Walter Roberts Endowment has provided support to the “Connecting Cultures: Cultural Diplomacy and Engagement Workshop”.

For more about cultural programming and American Voices, listen to John Ferguson on Public Diplomacy Examined (PDx). IPDGC summer intern Adeniyi Funsho interviewed John in 2021 – PDX podcast: Connecting Cultures through Performance

With reporting from Alexis Posel, IPDGC communications assistant.

September 18, 2023April 23, 2024

Looking to the future

USAGM CEO shares the latest developments and challenges to international broadcasting

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

The first in-person First Monday Forum for Fall 2023 featured Amanda Bennett, CEO of the US Agency for Global Media and she shared new developments at the agency that oversees VOA, RFE/RL, Radio-TV Martí, the Middle East Broadcasting Network, Radio Free Asia, and the Open Technology Fund. Bennett talked about efforts to reach new Russian and Mandarin-speaking audiences, efforts against disinformation and censorship, and the challenges of AI.

https://youtu.be/7cTA2RiacRg?si=bq7TebL9V8U4TJ4a

Amanda Bennett, CEO of the US Agency for Global Media

CSPAN also provided coverage of the event.

IPDGC is especially proud to note that Gabrielle Stalls, the Hans “Tom” Tuch Fellow who organizes the FMF events, is a new graduate student in the Global Communications program. Get to know more about Gabby, who is new to DC as well, in our Student Spotlight.

September 15, 2023April 23, 2024

Considering opportunities at the State Department

IPDGC Career talk with senior U.S. diplomats

By Alexis Posel, IPDGC communications assistant.

At the recent career talk held on September 13th, GW students had many questions to ask: “Does having a graduate degree improve employment prospects at the Department of State?”

“What are your recommendations for making yourself a good candidate for an FSO position in undergrad?”

“How did you end up specializing in economics?”

“What is it like working for different presidential administrations?”

Senior Foreign Service Officers Chris Teal (left) and Michael Newbill spoke to over 50 undergraduate and graduate students about a variety of career opportunities available to them at the US Department of State.

The two senior diplomats are currently on detail at the George Washington University. Chris is the Public Diplomacy Fellow at IPDGC and teaches public diplomacy, and Michael teaches classes in communication and global strategies.

Apart from giving information about programs available for students wanting short-term involvement with the State Department – internships, fellowships, study abroad – both also shared their experiences in overseas postings and how they prepared for the professional and personal challenges. Michael and Chris spoke about having the mindset to advance national interests abroad and handling the challenge of being questioned about everything that happens in the U.S.

“When you are representing the US, you have to be ‘on’ 24-7. This is not a 9-5 job,” Chris added.

Some takeaways from yesterday were: State jobs don’t always require a graduate degree; YES to studying languages; and explore both the diplomatic and civil service positions to better understand what works for you. The Department publishes information on paid internships and fellowships, and those students who want to get on the career path to a State Department role, they can learn more about the Pickering, Rangel, and Clarke fellowships.

July 12, 2023July 20, 2023

Capturing the News: Trump and the Voice of America.

12 PM EST

Monday, August 7, 2023

The Public Diplomacy Council of America, the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, and the GWU Institute for Public Diplomacy & Global Communication are pleased to invite you to the August 7 First Monday Forum featuring Dr. Kate Wright, who will discuss the new Oxford University Press book Capturing the News: Trump and the Voice of America.

Kate Wright is an associate professor of media and communications, based in the Politics and International Relations Department at the University of Edinburgh. She is a former BBC journalist, who specialized in flagship news and investigative documentaries. She now researches how different political economies shape the production of international news. She is the author of Who’s Reporting Africa Now? Non-governmental Organizations, Journalists and Multimedia (2014), and co-authored Humanitarian Journalists (2022).

Along with her co-authors Martin Scott (University of East Anglia) and Mel Bunce (University of London), she asks: “How did the Trump administration capture one of the world’s most important public service news networks?” This book uses rare interviews and an analysis of private correspondence and internal documents, to explain why and how Voice of America (VOA) became intensely politicized from 2020–2021.

The book analyzes how political appointees, White House officials, and right-wing media influenced VOA—changing its reporting of the Black Lives Matter movement, the presidential election, and its contested aftermath.

They argue that Trump allies took control of the network’s financial and human resources, dominated its governance structures, and instigated intimidating investigations into journalistic “bias.” Some journalists tried to resist, but others were too exhausted and fearful, particularly those in the organization’s language services.

The book puts these events in historical and international context—and develops a new analytical framework for understanding government capture and its connection to broader processes of democratic backsliding.

They argue that there is currently too little to prevent a future US administration with authoritarian tendencies from capturing VOA and converting it into a major domestic broadcaster. They use this research to recommend practical ways of protecting the network and other international public service media better in future.

The program will take place at noon on August 7 via Zoom. To register, click here.