FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 006924

SIPDIS

PA/PR/FPC (ASILAS); NEA/PPD (CBOURGEOIS, DMACINNES); NEA/ARN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OEXC SCUL JO
SUBJECT: FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC
REPORTING TOUR - PROGRAM EVALUATION


1. SUMMARY: MS. LUBNA ABDUL HAQ, AN ECONOMIC REPORTER AT
"AL-ARAB AL-YAWM" ARABIC DAILY NEWSPAPER, AND MS. HALA AL
HADIDI, AN ECONOMIC REPORTER AT JORDAN NEWS AGENCY (PETRA)
WERE PARTICIPANTS IN THE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S BUSINESS AND
ECONOMIC REPORTING TOUR, SEPTEMBER 15-28, 2002 (NON-IV
ALLOCATION). PAS STAFF MET WITH BOTH MS. ABDUL HAQ AND MS.
AL HADIDI TO GET THEIR FEED BACK ON THE TOUR. THEY BOTH
COMMENTED THAT IT WAS AN EXCELLENT, IF INTENSE, PROGRAM,
WHICH HELPED THEM GET A GOOD INSIGHT ON ECONOMIC REPORTING
IN THE U.S. THEY WERE PLEASED THAT THE TOUR PROVIDED THEM
WITH A VALUABLE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH U.S. GOVERNMENT AND
MEDIA OFFICIALS TO EXCHANGE VIEWS AND TO UNDERSTAND MORE
ABOUT U.S. ECONOMIC POLICY AND JOURNALISM IN THE U.S. THEY
VALUED, IN PARTICULAR, THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE ARAB AND
MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY. BOTH MS.
ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI WISHED THAT THE TOUR WAS THREE
WEEKS INSTEAD OF TWO WEEKS LONG TO HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GRASP
EVERYTHING THEY LEARNED AND TO PROVIDE THEIR OWN FEED BACK
ON EACH LEG OF THE TOUR. END SUMMARY.


2. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES: THE FOREIGN PRESS CENTER'S
BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC REPORTING TOUR TOOK PLACE SEPTEMBER 15-
28, 2002. THE ITINERARY INCLUDED WASHINGTON D.C.; CHICAGO
AND NEW YORK.


3. DATES/FISCAL YEAR/QUARTER: SEPTEMBER 15-28, 2002; FY
02; FOURTH QUARTER.


4. JUSTIFICATION AND OBJECTIVES:

POST NOMINATED TWO YOUNG REPORTERS WHO ARE AVID REPORTERS ON
JORDANIAN-AMERICAN ECONOMIC AND TRADE RELATIONS, INCLUDING
BILATERAL AGREEMENT SIGNINGS OF U.S. ASSISTANCE TO JORDAN.
HAVING HAD NO PRIOR EXPOSURE TO THE U.S. SOCIETY AND
POLITICAL SYSTEM, THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THIS THEMATIC TOUR
WAS ESSENTIAL TO U.S. MISSION OBJECTIVES.


5. MPP UMBRELLA THEME; THE PROGRAM SUPPORTED MPP OBJECTIVE
ON "DEMOCRACY AND FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION."


6. RESULTS AND IMPACT: DESPITE BEING QUITE INTENSIVE, MS.
ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI FOUND THE TOUR EXCELLENT AND
VERY USEFUL AS IT PROVIDED THEM WITH WORTHWHILE INSIGHT ON
U.S. ECONOMIC POLICY AND ECONOMIC/BUSINESS REPORTING. BOTH
REPORTERS WERE VERY PLEASED WITH ALL THE MEETINGS SCHEDULED
IN THEIR TOUR. THEY APPRECIATED THE GOOD EFFORTS EXERTED IN
SETTING UP MEETINGS, HOPING THAT FUTURE PARTICIPANTS WILL
HAVE MORE TIME BETWEEN EACH MEETING OR EVENT TO ORGANIZE
THEIR THOUGHTS AND TO REFLECT ON THE OUTCOME. BOTH REPORTERS
HIGHLY VALUED THEIR VISITS TO VARIOUS NEWSPAPERS AND TV
STATIONS. SOMETIMES THEY FELT THAT CERTAIN U.S. OFFICIALS
AND NEWSPAPER EDITORS LACKED PREPAREDNESS IN RESPONDING TO
PARTICIPANTS' QUESTIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ANSWER INVOLVED
NUMBERS AND FIGURES ON U.S. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO THE
MIDDLE EAST.

THEY ALSO LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM INTERACTING WITH THE
ARAB AND MUSLIM COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO AND NEW YORK CITY, AND
WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE SUCCESS OF SO MANY BUSINESSES
RUN BY ARAB AMERICANS IN THE UNITED STATES. HAVING HAD NO
PRIOR EXPOSURE TO U.S. SOCIETY, BOTH REPORTERS WERE ALSO
IMPRESSED WITH THE FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
ENJOY AND THE SIGNS OF PATRIOTISM THEY DISPLAY EVERYWHERE IN
THE WAKE OF 9/11.

MS. ABDUL HAQ AND MS. AL HADIDI WOULD HAVE LIKED TO MEET
WITH U.S. GROUPS AND FIGURES THAT OPPOSE U.S. POLICY IN THE
MIDDLE EAST TO GET THE FULL PICTURE ON HOW PEOPLE VIEW THIS
MATTER. THEY ALSO QUESTIONED THE SELECTION OF SEVERAL OF THE
PARTICIPANTS, NOTING THAT TWO OF THEM WERE NOT ECONOMIC AND
BUSINESS REPORTERS, AND DID NOT APPEAR TO RELATE TO THE
CONTENTS OF THE TOUR.

BOTH REPORTERS WERE NOT TOO HAPPY BY WHAT THEY VIEWED AS
STRICT SECURITY MEASURES, PARTICULARLY THE PHYSICAL
INSPECTIONS THEY HAD TO GO THROUGH AT U.S. AIRPORTS.
HOWEVER, THEY WERE WELL AWARE THAT THOSE MEASURES ARE VERY
IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF CITIZENS AND
VISITORS ALIKE.

MEDIA COVERAGE: DURING THE TOUR, MS. ABDUL HAQ FILED FIVE
STORIES IN ARABIC, ALL OF WHICH WERE PUBLISHED IN AL-ARAB AL-
YAWM. MS. AL HADIDI FILED SIX STORIES IN ARABIC. POST WILL
PROVIDE A COPY OF EACH OF THESE STORIES. THE FOLLOWING ARE
HEADLINES OF MS. ABDUL HAQ'S STORIES PUBLISHED IN AL-ARAB AL-
YAWM:


SEPTEMBER 19:

"THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION FREEZES $112 MILLION IN ASSETS
SUSPECTED OF CONNECTION TO TERRORISM"

"THE MONEY BELONGS TO 236 INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS
WORLDWIDE"

SEPTEMBER 20:

"OFFICIALS FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND COMMERCE
SAY THAT ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH THE ARAB WORLD HAVE
DETERIORATED BECAUSE OF THE RECEDING U.S. ECONOMY"

"A STRIKE AGAINST IRAQ WILL AFFECT NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES"

SEPTEMBER 26:

"THE ARAB LEAGUE IS DISCUSSING A JOINT ARAB-AMERICAN
ECONOMIC CONFERENCE IN DETROIT NEXT MAY 15-17"

SEPTEMBER 28:

"DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THIS YEAR, JORDAN IS IN 85TH PLACE
ON THE LIST OF EXPORTERS TO THE UNITED STATES"

OCTOBER 3:

"ARAB BUSINESSMEN ACHIEVE A BANKING SUCCESS STORY IN
AMERICA"


7. QUALITY OF US. SUPPORT: EXCELLENT. BOTH PARTICIPANTS
APPRECIATED THE HARD WORK PUT INTO THIS PROGRAM. THEY
HIGHLY COMMENDED MR. ALGIS SILAS FROM THE FPC FOR HIS
ENTHUSIASM AND DILIGENCE. THEY WERE ALSO IMPRESSED WITH THE
PROFESSIONALISM OF THE ESCORT/INTERPRETER TEAM.
GNEHM