IIJ Hosts Global Journalists on OU Athens Campus

This winter quarter, the Institute for International Journalism (IIJ) is proud to present two prominent global journalists, John Schidlovsky and Francine Uenuma to the Scripps community from Monday Feb 22 to Wednesday Feb 24, 2010.

Mr. Schidlovsky and Ms. Uenuma will share their international journalism experiences in volatile regions with our students and the Scripps community. They will also meet with the Students for Global Media and Diversity (SGMD), an OU student association affiliated with the IIJ. They will also have an informal meeting with the SGMD members in Sing Tao Center, in room 101, on Tuesday February 23nd at 1pm. During the two-day visit, they will give a lecture about the current trends, challenges and the future of international journalism to student taking our Foreign Correspondence class on February 22nd in Scripps 114 at 3pm.


John Schidlovsky is the Founder and Director of the International Reporting Project (IRP) in the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he spent four years as the first director of The Freedom Forum's Asian Center in Hong Kong from 1993 to 1997, monitoring media changes in the transition of Hong Kong to Chinese rule and working with journalists in virtually every country in the Asia-Pacific region.

Schidlovsky was a foreign correspondent for nearly 20 years, including 13 years with The Baltimore Sun. He was The Sun's Beijing bureau chief from 1987 to the end of 1989, and closely covered the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and the aftermath. He served as The Sun's New Delhi bureau chief and covered events in the Indian Subcontinent and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. In late 1970s, he was a freelance international journalist in Cairo and Beirut, covering the region for NBC, ABC and Newsday.

Ms. Francine Uenuma is currently the senior news video editor with The Washington Post (Digital), working to ensure daily multimedia coverage on The Washington Post’s web site. She liaises with various sections of the paper to present the best options for video, audio and podcasts to enhance the Post’s online coverage. She works with foreign correspondents to equip them and develop their multimedia skills, helping to garner video from Afghanistan to South Africa. Uenuma also hosts the World Briefing Podcast, a weekly discussion with those correspondents about what they are reporting and their experiences on the ground.

Uenuma's career in journalism began with an interest in international news. She was a foreign correspondent in several countries. She attended the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, completing a course of study on issues from the Cold War to the contemporary history of the Korean Peninsula.