US embassy cable - 05AMMAN6753

UNCLAS AMMAN 006753 
 
SIPDIS 
 
ECA/PE/V/M (MBENSON, JBEARD, SROBINSON); ECA/PE/V/C 
(KYATES); NEA/PPD (DBENZE); NEA/ELA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OEXC, SCUL, JO 
SUBJECT:  FY 05 MRP:"INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM," JUNE 15 - 
JULY 7, 2005 - PROGRAM EVALUATION 
 
 
1. FOLLOWING IS THE EVDB EVALUATION OF SUBJECT PROGRAM: 
 
START FIXED-FORMAT TEXT (PLEASE DO NOT EDIT): 
: THE FOLLOWING DATA IS IN A FIXED FORMAT WHICH ENABLES 
: AUTOMATED PROCESSING IN WASHINGTON AND SHOULD NOT BE 
: EDITED EXCEPT BY MEANS OF THE POST-EVDB SOFTWARE. 
EXPORT-SOURCE: POST-EVDB 
VERSION: 3.0.7 
POST-EMAIL: ALDADAWM@STATE.GOV 
TRANSMITTING-POST: PAS AMMAN 
TRANSMITTING-POST-ID: 2887 
EXPORT-TYPE: PROJECT EVALUATION 
START PROJECT-EVAL-REC: 
POST-PROJ-ID: 199 
ECA-PROJ-NO: E/VM-2005-0029 
PROJ-NAME: INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM - JORDAN 
CPTHEME: DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
START MEMO IMPACT: 
MS. LAMA ABSEH HAD A FAIR EXPERIENCE ON HER PROGRAM. 
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS WERE WELL-ORGANIZED. SHE THOUGHT THE 
HOME HOSPITALITY EXPERIENCES WERE GREAT. SHE APPRECIATED THE 
DIVERSITY OF THE PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND FELT THAT SHE 
LEARNED A LOT FROM THE OTHER JOURNALISTS. 
HOWEVER, SHE WAS DISAPPOINTED THAT SHE DID NOT GET TO SHADOW 
A REPORTER AND THOUGHT THE PROGRAM WOULD HAVE BENEFITED FROM 
MORE DIVERSITY IN THE PROGRAM FORMATS, RATHER THAN JUST 
LECTURES AND MEETINGS. MOREOVER, SHE FELT THAT THE PROGRAM 
IN WASHINGTON, DC, WAS MUCH TOO BUSY, BUT THAT THE PROGRAM 
IN OTHER PLACES SUCH AS MISSOURI WAS MUCH TOO SLOW. SHE FELT 
THERE WAS TOO MUCH TIME SPENT TRAVELING AROUND THE COUNTRY. 
IN PARTICULAR, THE PHILADELPHIA PORTION COULD HAVE BEEN 
DROPPED COMPLETELY TO SPEND MORE TIME IN NEW YORK CITY. SHE 
WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO HAVE MORE PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS IN 
NEW YORK, AS IT IS THE CENTER OF WORLD JOURNALISM, AND WAS 
DISAPPOINTED THEY WERE THERE FOR SUCH A SHORT TIME AND ONLY 
PARTICIPATED IN CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. 
SHE LEARNED HELPFUL IDEAS AND PRINCIPLES FOR INVESTIGATIVE 
JOURNALISM, SUCH AS GATHERING AS MUCH INFORMATION AS 
POSSIBLE INSTEAD OF RUSHING TO PRINT, AGGRESSIVELY SEEKING 
OUT A RANGE OF COMMENTATORS ON A SPECIFIC ISSUE INSTEAD OF 
ONLY GOING TO OFFICIALS, AND THE NEED TO WRITE IN BOTH DEPTH 
AND FOCUS ON AN ISSUE. 
SHE FELT THAT THE MEETING WITH THE CENTER FOR FOREIGN 
JOURNALISTS WAS VERY HELPFUL. SHE DID NOT APPRECIATE THE 
MEETING AT THE PENTAGON, AS SHE FELT THE SPEAKER WAS ONLY 
TRYING TO JUSTIFY U.S. POLICY IN IRAQ INSTEAD OF TALKING 
ABOUT THE JOURNALISTIC DIMENSIONS OF COVERING THE ISSUES. 
END MEMO IMPACT: 
START MEMO AUDIENCE-REACHED: 
MS. LAMA ABSEH IS A FULL-TIME JOURNALIST WORKING FOR AL- 
DUSTOUR, JORDAN'S SECOND LARGEST CIRCULATION ARABIC DAILY. 
SHE WORKS MAINLY IN ECONOMIC JOURNALISM AND IS ONE OF THE 
FEW REPORTERS IN JORDAN WHO ARE SERIOUSLY WORKING TO 
ESTABLISH THEMSELVES AS SERIOUS INVESTIGATIVE ECONOMIC 
JOURNALISTS. 
END MEMO AUDIENCE-REACHED: 
ECA-PROGRAM-OFFICE-RATING: 3 
START MEMO ECA-PROG-OFFICE-COMMENT: 
THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE OFFICERS: DAVID PITTS, SUZANNE VAN DER 
WEIDE, AND GREG BECKER WERE EXCELLENT AND VERY HELPFUL. 
END MEMO ECA-PROG-OFFICE-COMMENT: 
PROGRAM-AGENCY-RATING: 3 
START MEMO PROG-AGENCY-COMMENT: 
 
END MEMO PROG-AGENCY-COMMENT: 
START ESCORT-INTERPRETER-EVALUATION: 
ESCORT-INTERPRETER: MARILYN SAKS-MCMILLION 
RATING: 3 
START MEMO COMMENT: 
 
END MEMO COMMENT: 
END ESCORT-INTERPRETER-EVALUATION: 
END PROJECT-EVAL-REC: 
 
HENZEL#