This group of American journalists had the once-in-lifetime opportunity to participate in the ceremony of the RIAS Media Awards, to witness Julia Navalnaya receiving the DW Freedom of Speach Award and to personally meet the holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer.
Amanda Jackson, CNN, Corpus Christi, Texas
The RIAS fellowship was a transformational learning experience for me. Speaking to different media groups it is apparent we are all facing the same challenges in our newsrooms on a global level - how do we reach new and younger audiences; how do we combat disinformation and how do we utilize new tech/AI into our newsrooms as a tool without compromising our work. Beyond the newsroom walls, I heard some of the most powerful personal stories about survival during the dark history of Germany. These stories will forever be ingrained into my heart. Being in Europe during elections and learning the Parliament process was a real-life learning experience I would've never grasped while reading the news in the US. I look forward to staying in touch with the other American journalists who were part of my fellowship and to cheer each other on as we grow in the media industry. My other goal is to continue to network my transatlantic relationships and bring more coverage to a US audience. I'm forever grateful for RIAS for allowing me this life changing opportunity.
Caroline Baxendale, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
The RIAS Berlin program proved to be not only a transatlantic exchange of journalists but also of information and ideas. Hearing from government officials, political experts, historians, and other journalists shaped my understanding of the United States’ relationship with Germany and its role internationally. I’m grateful to the program for introducing me to a community of intelligent and talented individuals who inspire me to continue giving a voice to the people. I feel well prepared ahead of the US election and look forward to implementing my global perspective in the newsroom this fall, as well as collaborating with the RIAS network in the near future.
Cooper Seamer, Dakota News Now, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The RIAS Berlin Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll be hanging on to for the rest of my professional career. Getting to meet and connect with so many hard-working journalists, working at the top of their abilities, inspired me to bring that same work ethic back to the United States. In our ever-connected world, we face many of the same issues here in the United States that many in Europe are currently working to address as well, and we can only benefit by learning from each other on how to write and construct stories about these issues from different perspectives. Meeting politicians, activists, and organizers looking to make their communities a better place also helped drive home that point. I’ve come back home with a newfound energy, and I can’t wait to incorporate the lessons I’ve learned into my own reporting for our viewers.
Rachael Myrow, KQED, San Francisco, California
I’ve visited Germany before, in both personal and professional capacities, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from these two weeks with RIAS in Germany and Belgium. I’m happy to report I gained a broader, deeper perspective from our conversations with journalists, activists, diplomats, artists, historians, and authors - some of whom spoke passionately and from personal experience - about Europe’s often traumatic history and where the region appears to be headed next. An added bonus: meeting a new friend set of dynamic, rising journalists from many parts of the US. I feel like we all came away with genuine gratitude for each other, as well as the creative leadership and perspicacity of Christoph Jumpelt, Christina Reif and Pam Ortega. Bravo, thank you, and I’m looking forward to being an active member of the RIAS alumni in years to come.
Josh Gorbutt, KBTX, Bryan-College Station, Texas
Going into the RIAS Berlin fellowship, I knew I was in for an exceptional opportunity. I could not have imagined, however, the depth of knowledge and experience I’d be exposed to in just a few short weeks and the lifelong relationships with which I’d return. As fellows, we walked away with a masterclass in U.S.-European relations, a unique perspective on global issues, and a new ability to inform our audiences. It was an experience I can’t recommend enough!
Erica Hernandez, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
As a journalist, I am rarely ever at a loss for words. But trying to put into words the impact of the RIAS Berlin fellowship program has proven difficult. There's so much to say about how this program expanded my worldview. There's no way to pick just one highlight from the absolutely stacked schedule we had the privilege of participating in. One thing I keep coming back to is how many first-person accounts we heard. The June 2024 fellows and I met with a holocaust survivor, a former political prisoner, a member of parliament, newsmakers and other public figures. We had the honor of getting to know German journalists and learning that we had more in common than we expected. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to continue educating myself. I know it's something I'll keep doing as part of the wonderful RIAS alumni network.
Lakshmi Eassey, KQED, San Francisco, California
There were many highlights of my RIAS experience — hearing from Kani Alavi about painting the Berlin Wall and establishing the East Side Gallery, walking through a former Stasi prison with Peter Keup and visiting a variety of German media outlets to hear how they are thinking about and experimenting with news and media. Attending the DW Freedom of Speech awards, meeting Holocaust survivor Margot Friedlander and traveling everywhere with a group of US journalists were also unique and valuable learning experiences. I’m thankful I was able to participate in this experience and I look forward to pursuing story ideas that cover different elements of transatlantic relations from a California perspective.
Wilton Jackson, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi
Prior to being selected for the RIAS Program, I never envisioned what a trip to Europe would be like nor did I think my first European experience would come packaged in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. As a college professor and sports reporter who started off my journalism career in hard news, RIAS gave me an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, embark on new cultures and broaden my outlook on global affairs, especially pertaining to Germany and Belgium. It had the opportunity to understand firsthand the similarities and contrasts between the U.S. and European government/relations (i.e., elections, voting, the fight for press freedom, immigration, misinformation, climate and the continuous use/disruption of social media platforms) as well as how journalists—and the media at large—convey and deliver news on international issues that are often complex and require lots of background research. Sports are very much part of the daily news fabric in society, and they go beyond the competition that takes place in their respective venues. With a program like RIAS—getting exclusive access and off-the-record conversations with high-ranking German, U.S. and other international diplomats, leaders, journalists and historians—it supplied me with greater context of the relationships between the U.S. and European nations as well as ways that I could apply this knowledge to enhance my reporting skills collectively. I’m forever grateful for RIAS and especially the guidance of Christoph Jumpelt, Christina Reif and Pam Ortega.
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