Fletcher Features
Five Fletcher Students Attend Milton Wolf Seminar on Media and Diplomacy in Vienna |
Five Fletcher students--Emma Belcher (’04), Adam Day (’04), Deborah
Eisenberg (’03), Brandon Miller (’04) and Mariya Rasner (’03)--recently
received fellowships from the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna to attend the
Ambassador Milton Wolf Seminar on Journalism and Diplomacy and the
Commission on Radio and Television Policy in Austria. The
Milton Wolf Seminar, held at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, was
sponsored by the American Austrian Foundation and its chairman
Ambassador Milton Wolf. The City of Vienna, the DeWitt Center for
Communications and Journalism, the American Embassy, the Austrian
Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Press
Institute were among other contributors to the event. This year’s topic
was “Analyzing Global Security Crises: Challenges for Media and
Diplomacy.” The Commission, an advocacy group for journalists founded by
Jimmy Carter, met for two days following the Milton Wolf Seminar to
consider the topic "Balancing Civil Liberty, Press Freedom, and
Security."Students from Georgetown University, Columbia University, Universiteit Amsterdam, Duke University and the Diplomatic Academy attended the seminar and participated jointly in simulations and conference sessions with journalists from all over Eastern Europe. One of the key components of the week was a pair of press conferences in which future diplomats responded to questions from journalists about a crisis. One of the crises concerned an outbreak of small pox; the other was the French response to an attack on its citizens in Saudi Arabia. "I thought that the interactive sessions were among the most instructive of the conference for getting us to learn and feel first-hand the competing tensions between journalists and diplomats," said Brandon Miller. “There was a very interesting cross-cultural component to the conference. The Europeans approached the press conference very formally, the Americans preferred more of an informal give and take approach using slightly combative humor to make points and avoid making others and the students from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe seemed to be reticent to give up any information to the media.” Much of the week was spent in formal session, listening to a wide variety of speakers—from an MSNBC technology correspondent to the BBC's deputy director to the spokesperson for the International Atomic Energy Agency. “I thought one of the best parts of the conference was meeting such a diverse group of people. From the journalists of Central and South Eastern Europe to the students of the Diplomatic Academy, there was such a plurality of opinions represented,” said Deborah Eisenberg. “The conference added much to my understanding of public diplomacy, especially how people view this concept in Europe.” Besides sessions by academics and government officials, participants heard from journalists working in difficult circumstances. Adam Day said, "I gained a greater appreciation of the dangers faced by journalists working in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet states. There is so much violence, corruption and intimidation. Everyday these reporters have to make serious ethical decisions. Unfortunately, press freedoms don't seem to be improving in many areas."  While the speakers were great, Vienna itself came in close second place as the star of the show. “Having been to Vienna before and taken in the sights, the thing that most struck me this time around was what a great meeting place it was for east and west. It seemed as if everyone felt at home there,” said Deborah. Adam concurred, “"Vienna was a beautiful city, though a bit dangerous as bikes, trams, buses and pedestrians all seemed to occupy the same lanes. We went to the opera, visited chocolate shops and museums and had dinner in restaurant at a vineyard overlooking the city." We also ate some great schnitzel and rotwurst, washed down with mugs of hearty local biers!” The trip was made possible thanks to Prof. Alan Henrikson, who will be on sabbatical next semester at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna. Prof. Henrikson will be the Fulbright Visiting Professor of International Relations there, teaching U.S. diplomatic history and transatlantic relations. |