Beyond the Capitals: Exposing Regional U.K. Journalists to Politics Outside of Washington

The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) has partnered with the U.S. Embassy London Public Affairs Office (PAO) to bring seven journalists from regional outlets in the United Kingdom to the United States to cover politics with an emphasis on the presidential inauguration, set for Monday, January 21. The program will offer the journalists a rare opportunity to travel to various U.S. states and learn about the impact of presidential politics on ordinary Americans “beyond the Beltway.”

From left to right: Mick Coyle, Malcolm Warne, Zoe Jewell, Bimpe Archer, Kat Keogh, David McCann and David Ottewell.

The program will open at ICFJ's offices in Washington, D.C., on Monday, January 14, with two days of briefings and discussions with media professionals and political scholars on the presidential election, its implications for U.S. policies and a profile of the diverse American electorate. Participants will have an opportunity to learn more about the key topics of the 2012 race as well as the outlook on President Obama’s second term.

After the D.C. orientation, the journalists will depart for news organizations in the seven designated “sister cities” of their U.K. hometowns, where they will delve beneath the oft-repeated “red state-blue state” characterizations and interact with voters and local party representatives. They will report for their media outlets at home – giving audiences across the U.K. a glimpse into how politics affect the lives of Americans.

The journalists’ U.S. destinations and their U.K. “sister cities” (in parentheses) are:

• Brooklyn, New York (Borough of Lambeth, London, England)
• Chicago, Illinois (Birmingham, England)
• Durham, North Carolina (Durham, England)
• Nashville, Tennessee (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
• New Orleans, Louisiana (Liverpool, England)
• Los Angeles, California (Manchester, England)
• San Diego, California (Edinburgh, Scotland)

Participants for this program have been selected. Please continue to check this page for program updates.