The French-American Foundation is the principal non-governmental organization linking France and the United States at leadership levels and across the full range of the French-American relationship. 
Covering Immigration: An International Media Dialogue
Our Steering Committee | The Reporting Opportunities | To Attend | Past Journalism Programs
As part of its Media Coverage of Immigration Program, the French-American Foundation is organizing two symposia to bring together prominent media professionals, NGO representatives and academics from North America and Europe. The purpose of the two conferences is to examine the media’s coverage of immigration and to determine ways to improve its quality and depth.
The first conference took place from November 13 through November 15, 2009 at Euro RSCG in Paris and was met with great success. Over 70 professionals participated, from more than a dozen different countries. Journalists were able to engage in productive and thought-provoking discussions with their colleagues, and the international nature of the conference allowed for a broad range of perspectives and experiences. Participants tackled the following discussion topics:
How to balance journalistic ideals and the realities of reporting; Using outside research, experts, and advocacy groups in reporting; Immigration and integration as two ways to frame a story; Ethnic media.
During the course of the conference, participants watched clips of the documentary Shelbyville, and as part of the pre-screening were able to discuss and debate with director / producer Kim Snyder. Participants also had the chance to go out into the field by participating in one of eight “Reporting opportunities.”
The second conference is scheduled to take place from May 7 through May 9, 2010 in Miami, FL.
For more information on the first conference, please click here to download the agenda.
Reactions of Program Participants
- Andrea Brandt, Correspondent, Der Spiegel
“It enabled me to compare the situation in my country to the situation in France and provided a new view on reality."
- Nicolàs Castellano Flores, Journalist, Cadena SER (Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión)
“It was very interesting to compare the French situation with the Spanish reality […] I think that with this type of meeting, the journalism about migrations will be better, I’m optimistic.”
- Luis de Vega, Correspondent in Maghreb, ABC Madrid
“The exchanges of experiences, the contacts we made, we have improved our way to work as journalists of the migration subject.”
- David Dieudonné, Reporter, Agence France - Presse
“All of the [sessions] embraced crucial issues which were extensively addressed both by the panel and the audience which I consider of noticeably high quality and diversity."
- Marina Jimenez, Senior Feature Writer, The Globe and Mail
“I was hoping to gain a better understanding of the immigration debate in the US and the challenges of integration in France. I really feel that the conference provided this opportunity.”
- Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, Paris Correspondent, The Irish Times
“As I had hoped, the conference was very useful in learning about the differences between Europe and the US, and about the practices in various areas. It was also very useful in meeting people working in the same area.”
- Claudia Núñez, Reporter, La Opinión, Los Angeles
“I found the interaction with the reporters who cover the topic in diverse countries to be most enriching. Their comments and critiques widened my horizon on covering this subject. This was truly an enriching experience that has begun to reveal itself in my reporting.”
Steering Committee and Funders
The French-American Foundation has benefited from the support of the Ford Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Unbound Philanthropy, and the Open Society Institute. In addition, a Steering Committee, chaired by Michael Oreskes, senior managing editor at the Associated Press, is overseeing the program. The committee also includes Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling, senior vice president of international affairs at ZDF-German Television; Taryn Higashi, executive director of Unbound Philanthropy; Gary Kebbel, journalism program director at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and Calvin Sims, program officer for news media for the Ford Foundation.
One of the highlights of the Media Coverage of Immigration Program is the chance for participants to go on “Reporting Opportunities,” half-day, on-the-ground visits to organizations or neighborhoods where participants met with individuals who work closely with immigrant communities.
You will find below short descriptions of each of the Reporting Opportunities in which participants partook during the first conference:
- The Association Hui Ji in Paris’ Chinatown
The main goal of the association Hui Ji is to help Chinese immigrants integrate into French society. Conference participants had the opportunity to visit the organization’s headquarters in Paris and meet with its president, Richard Beraha. Representatives of the Chinese community were also present to answer questions. The group was then given a guided visit of Belleville, a neighborhood in northeastern Paris that has become home to one of the city’s two Chinatowns.
- Meeting with Elected Officials of Immigrant Descent
Participants met for a luncheon in La Courneuve, a northeastern suburb of Paris, to talk with a group of elected officials of immigrant descent about their backgrounds and the difficulties they have had to face in their path towards becoming political figures.
- The Bondy Blog
The Bondy Blog is a journalistic collective that provides news from the French banlieues. It was started during the riots of November 2005 in order to allow people who live in the banlieues to have a voice in the national debate. The group met at the Bondy Bloggers’ headquarters in Bondy, a northeastern suburb of Paris, and the editor-in-chief, Nordine Nabili, presented his team’s work. The group was then divided into two groups: the first group of participants paired up with Bondy Bloggers and accompanied them into their communities, homes and on reporting assignments. The second group met with local elected officials, representatives of local associations and young people of immigrant descent.
- La CIMADE ’s Refugee Center in Massy
One of the main missions of La CIMADE’s Refugee Center in Massy is to help and support people displaced by war. The group met at the refugee center in Massy, a southern suburb of Paris, with the director, Christophe Piedra. They had the opportunity to take a tour of the facilities and were able to meet with some of the residents of the center, a majority of whom are from the Horn of Africa.
- The Neighborhood of La Goutte D’Or in Paris’ 18th Arrondissement
The Neighborhood of La Goutte D’Or is a working-class area in Paris’ 18th arrondissement, a northern area of the city. The majority of the population is made up of immigrants from North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as people of immigrant descent. Participants met with Yankel Fijalkow, an urban sociologist, who guided their visit to the vibrant neighborhood. The group then met with the association URACA, which helps immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Lycée Darius Milhaud
The Lycée Darius Milhaud is a high school located in Kremlin-Bicêtre, a southern suburb of Paris where a large number of the students are of immigrant descent. The group met at the Lycée and had the opportunity to meet with more than a dozen students who candidly talked about their prospects for the future and how their origins have sometimes proved to be an obstacle in their endeavors to establish their careers in France.
- Association “Parlez Cités”
“Parlez Cités” is an association that tries to strengthen social links among inhabitants of low-income areas in the Ile-de-France region, to develop mutual aid, and to help different communities learn how to live together by encouraging “citizen media” projects. Participants met and conversed with the president of the association, Eric Seyden, as well as with a number of individuals of immigrant descent who live in Kremlin-Bicêtre, asouthern suburb of Paris.
The Foundation will invite media professionals, representatives from media monitoring and immigration NGOs and academics from across Europe, the United States and Canada, as well as representatives from source countries of immigration. Media professionals attending the second conference will represent traditional and new media from national, local, and ethnic news outlets, with individual participants ranging from veterans to up-and-comers, as well as journalism educators.
The Foundation is actively seeking reporters, editors, bureau chiefs, and other media professionals who have experience in covering immigration to attend the conference and join in this international exchange. If you are interested in attending, please click to download the application form to tell us more about yourself and your work. You can also recommend someone by directly contacting the program’s associate director Thibault Chareton (tchareton@frenchamerican.org).
For more information on the program
Please contact:
- Chrissa La Porte, Program Director (claporte@frenchamerican.org) Tel: +1 212 829 8800 x 21
- Thibault Chareton, Associate Program Director (tchareton@frenchamerican.org) Tel: +1 212 829 8800 x 20
To watch videos of the previous conference, “Covering Immigration: An International Media Dialogue” held on November 13-15, 2009 click on the picture.
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