The World Affairs Council of St. Louis recently had the pleasure of hosting a Multi-Regional delegation through the Department of State’s International Visitors Leadership Program. The program was held from the 8th through the 14th of November, 2023 and hosted delegates from a myriad of nations including Argentina, Pakistan, Lebanon, and more. The program, “ The Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists – Media Responsibility in an Age of Disinformation”, had the objective of examinging and discussing how the government and organizations in the United States counter the spread of disinformation. All of the selected delegates were professionals in the media and journalism space in their respective countries.
The group arrived in St. Louis on November 8, 2023 and spent the rest of the day getting settled. On the 9th, they set out to the University of Missouri to hear from experts in the School of Journalism, including Fritz Cropp, associate dean for global programs at Missouri School of Journalism and Kathey Kiely, a long-time journalist and advocate for free speech. The following day, the delegation held a meeting with an investigative reporter working for KMOV, Ms. Susan El Khoury, followed by another meeting with Ms. Sarah Russell, Commissioner of the City Emergency Management Agency.
Over the weekend, the visitors were given the opportunity to explore St. Louis’s cultural side including the Veterans Parade at The Soldiers Memorial and the Saint Louis Arch. On evening, three St. Louis families hosted the visitors for dinner in their home in a cultural exchange.
Professional meetings resumed after the weekend when visitors met with Tony Messenger, the metro columnist for the STL Post-Dispatch and Pulitzer Prize winner.That afternoon, the delegation met with Dr. Leilani Carver, a professor of strategic communication and leadership at Maryville University, and her students.On November 14th, the delegation departed having gained valubale information on media responcibility thanks to the International Visitor Leadership Program and The World Affairs Council of St Louis.
Leo Klayman, Intern
