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EDITOR’S NOTE: Aurora Sentinel reporter Quincy Snowdon is traveling with a U. S. State Department group of journalists to Pakistan for two weeks, as part of an international exchange meant to create better understanding between the two countries. He’ll be reporting regularly during his adventure.
WASHINGTON DC AND ABU DABI AIRPORT | Being in Washington, it seems appropriate to quote “All the Presidents Men.”
Someone always has to “follow the money.” (This is journalism, after all.)
I’m certainly no Woodward, no Bernstein, or even Editor Dave Perry, but I was wondering how this whole journalists-to-Pakistan and vice-versa operation, you know, exists.
Apparently, the ICFJ, The International Center for Journalists, which is the primary coordinator for this program, receives funding from three sources: The U.S. government, corporate investors and philanthropic organizations. About half of the money comes from Uncle Sam, largely from the U.S. Department of State, while the remainder comes from a patchwork of sources, including Bloomberg, Dow Jones, Gannett, The Knight Fellowship and The Gates Foundation, according to ICFJ officials.
This particular Pakistani exchange program has been floated by a five-year,$1.8 million grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which lives under the purview of the State Department. Set to expire next year, the grant has helped bring 34 American hacks to Pakistan and about 15 groups of Pakistani journalists to the U.S., according to ICFJ.
So there’s your financial wiki. Let the NPR-hating, government-funded conspiracy theories commence.
Originally from Connecticut, Quincy Snowdon ditched the East Coast about six years ago for Colorado’s thinner air and higher mountains. He’s worked at the Aurora Sentinel in Aurora for two years and something like 68 days (but who’s counting?). He spends most of his days writing about spats on the local board of education and the city’s art scene. But he’s also been known to write about crime, food and the occasional business opening. His likes include climbing up Front Range rock piles, Barilla pasta and getting lost in YouTube worm holes — usually pertaining to bloopers from seasons 3-5 of the American sitcom The Office. His dislikes include deadlines, people who refuse to provide their last names and spotty WiFi connections.
