US embassy cable - 05SANSALVADOR2195

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SAN SALVADOR 002195 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR IIP/G/WHA-JMANES, IIP/T/GIC-JBOCHNER, WHA/PDA- 
RQUIROZ, WHA/CEN-PDEGLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KPAO, ES 
SUBJECT: Speaker Program Evaluation - Photojournalism 
workshops with U.S. Speaker Essdras Suarez 
 
NAME OF THE SPEAKER, PROGRAM DATES, PROGRAM EXPENSES 
 
1. PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING PHOTOJOURNALIST ESSDRAS SUAREZ 
OF THE BOSTON GLOBE SHARED HIS EXPERTISE IN LECTURES, 
WORKSHOPS, AND FIELD REPORTING TRIPS WITH SALVADORAN 
PHOTOJOURNALISTS FROM JULY 26-31. SUAREZ PROVED TO BE AN 
EXCELLENT AND ENGAGING SPEAKER, WHO CONNECTED EQUALLY WELL 
WITH BEAT REPORTERS/PHOTOGRAPHERS AND SENIOR EDITORS. POST 
WOULD WELCOME HIM BACK AND RECOMMENDS HIM HIGHLY TO OTHER 
POSTS SHOULD HIS PAPER AGREE. 
 
2. The Boston Globe paid most of Suarez's expenses; the 
Journalists Association of El Salvador (APES) helped 
organize the program and secured facilities at the 
Universidad Tecnologica as a venue. PAS contributed a $1000 
honorarium, via APES, and hosted a representational dinner. 
 
SUMMARY OF EVENTS/VENUES/AUDIENCES 
 
3.  The entire program was done in San Salvador, the 
country's political and media capital. Suarez held a 
conference for 150 communications students (ages 18-23), 
visited four newspapers, went out on assignments with 
Salvadoran photojournalists, and taught two workshops for an 
audience of 32 Salvadoran photo reporters (Note: the 
national registry only lists 45 photojournalists in the 
entire country). He also had the opportunity to share 
experiences with the newspaper managers and photo editors 
during a PAS-sponsored dinner. 
 
4. The events were scheduled to coincide with National 
Journalism Day, celebrated July 31. In the meetings, Suarez 
discussed topics such as the use of graphic images to convey 
graphic content, the advantages and disadvantages of 
different kinds of light (natural, flash, etc.), focal 
points in composition, entry and escape points in an image, 
the use of negative space vs. positive space, layering, 
cropping, different lenses and their effect on image content 
and message, and finally digital photo equipment. 
 
SPEAKER BACKGROUND 
5. Photojournalist Essdras Suarez (a native of Panama who 
moved to the U.S. in 1988) graduated in 1993 from the 
College of Journalism and Communications, where he 
specialized in photojournalism. He shared a Pulitzer Prize 
for his coverage of the Columbine High School tragedy in 
2000. In that same year, he also won the Robert F. Kennedy 
Journalism Award for his story following the journey home of 
the body of a 14-year old Guatemalan boy killed when a 
vanload of unidentified immigrant workers crashed on a rural 
road in Colorado. He knows his stuff and was able to connect 
with all of his audiences. 
 
EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SPEAKER 
6. Suarez was able to convey clearly the abstract concepts 
that go into the art of photography. He was well-prepared 
for the visit, having looked over several issues of all 
local newspapers to find examples of good photographs, which 
he then used as the basis for his discussions on how they 
might be made better. He also projected on-screen his own 
photos, showing the concepts he had discussed and inviting 
discussion and criticism from the participants. 
7. Suarez's presentations were compelling for the audience, 
and they provoked extended and thoughtful discussion. 
Several participants came to the second day's workshops 
based on the strong recommendations of photojournalist 
colleagues, and one who planned to stay only an hour ended 
up staying the entire day.  He consulted at length with one 
photojournalist doing a story on children with HIV/AIDS, and 
provided individual critiques to several others. 
 
PRESS PLACEMENT REPORT 
 
8. The visit was favorably covered in the local media, 
including a full-page article about Suarez and his prize- 
winning photography in El Diario de Hoy on July 30 (ultra- 
conservative, circ. 100,000). The July 28 issue of La Prensa 
Grafica (moderate, circ. 110,000) also ran an article that 
focused on Suarez's comments about photographing scenes of 
crime, violence, and accidents.  The July 30 edition of Co- 
Latino (leftist, circ. 20,000) also covered the visit as did 
the digital newspaper El Faro (www.elfaro.net) on August 1. 
 
IIP SUPPORT 
8. EXCELLENT. JENIFER BOCHNER FOUND QUICKLY JUST THE RIGHT 
MATCH FOR OUR PROGRAM.  SHE ALSO HELPED NEGOTIATE THE 
TERMS OF THIS PROGRAM; THEY WERE UNUSUAL DUE TO THE 
PREFERENCES OF THE BOSTON GLOBE BUT JENIFER HELPED ENSURE 
IT WORKED TO OUR ADVANTAGE. 
 
BARCLAY