March RIAS Berlin Commission programs to the USA postponed

RIAS Berlin Commission deeply regrets to announce that its programs scheduled for March (standard journalist program and ERP student program) will be postponed until either the fall of 2020 or later due to the current disruptions associated with the corona virus pandemic.
All participants of the standard journalist program will be offered a spot in subsequent programs, which will hopefully be rescheduled as soon there is more clarity regarding the situation. An important consideration behind the decision was the concern that transport disruptions caused by the pandemic could lead to substantial problems for participants to return to Germany in late March and mid-April, respectively. The possibility that some participants could be stranded for prolonged periods due to transportation shutdowns could not be ruled out. In addition to the above-mentioned issues, many US newsrooms and universities that RIAS participants had been scheduled to visit have been cancelling appointments and restricting visitor regulations as part of their precautionary measures.