Anne Matte

International Journalists Meet with Students

On Thursday, Professor Lee Jolliffes politics students got a treat of

international proportions. Twenty journalists from a variety of countries,
including Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Russia, came to the First Year Seminar
The Iowa Caucuses: Grassroots Politics on a National Stage and spoke with
students.
The event was part of the Iowa International Centers International
Visitor Leadership Program, for which top journalists from different countries
compete for a spot on a coast-to-coast trip around the United States from
D.C. to Seattle.
The Iowa International Center's mission is to build cultural respect at
home and around the world, one person at a time, said the International
Programs, Intern and Volunteer Manager at the Iowa International Center,
Janet Norton, over an email.
It went beautifully, said Professor Jolliffe, the cool thing was that
every group was just sparkling with conversation and interaction. The
journalists and the students all split up into four groups to better facilitate
discussion, and for some, it was an eye-opening opportunity.
We have to do our best, not just to listen to each other, but to hear
each other, said Russian Journalist and Editor for Lenta.ru, Ms. Ksenia
Melnikova. It helps us to know what the situation in the United States really

looks like.
The students were originally supposed to focus their presentations on
social media and politics, but since the international journalists had a grasp
on the subject and were interested to learn more, discussion soon moved to
the idiosyncrasies of American politics. Students explained at length the
political process in the United States, including the caucuses, and their party
loyalties.
We all wanted to learn, said Josh Hughes, a member of Jolliffes class.
Hughes explained that the political atmosphere is rather different in many of
the 20 countries that the journalists were from, they all brought a deep well
of knowledge and questions.
They were surprised that we could be friends when we were from a
different political party. Many of the journalists expressed interest that
Hughes and another student, Kylie Busick could be friends, despite Hughes
being staunchly liberal and Busick conservative.
Our party loyalty was surprising to them, because there are two
parties here and more variety in their countries, said Busick.
This was the first time that the international journalists, when theyre
visiting, had actually met with students, said Jolliffe, they could barely
contain themselves. The meeting and subsequent discussion were
beneficial to both the students and the journalists, as both parties were
attentive and inquisitive.