Middle East Travel Seminar for Journalists Rescheduled for October
Episcopal News Service. May 16, 2002 [2002-123-2]
A travel seminar for secular and religious journalists to Israel and Palestine, originally scheduled for April but postponed because of increased violence, is now scheduled for mid-October.
The seminar is being organized by the Media Project of the Middle East Forum, a broad-based ecumenical coalition of American churches and religious organizations working for peace in the region. It will be led by James M. Wall, senior contributing editor of The Christian Century, a frequent visitor to the region. He says the trip will provide journalists with background information and interviews with key political and religious leaders, but leave time to pursue specific assignments. It will be limited to 20 working journalists.
'We will meet with Christians, Jews and Muslims because we realize that hearing and seeing the situation from their perspective is critical to understanding the current conflict,' he says. Yet he noted that 'the Palestinian perspective, often missed and rarely understood by Western journalists, will be a priority for the trip.'
Logistical support for the 11-day trip, October 16-27, will be provided by Betty Jane Bailey, a consultant to the Middle East Office of the Common Global Ministries Board of the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ. Arrangements on the ground are being made by the Bethlehem Media Center.
Costs for the trip, no more than $2,400, will include airfare from Newark, ground transportation, hotels, and most meals. Applications and a $400 deposit are due September 1. A final selection of participants will be made by a committee of the Middle East Forum's Media Project.
For further information contact Bailey at BJBailey1@aol.com. Telephone is 973-324-9684 and fax 973-324-9685.