Ghanaian Chronicle Man to Participate in Freedom Forum

Freedom Forum Names 12 International Journalists-In-Residence For 2001

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Twelve newspaper, news agency, radio and television journalists from Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America will participate in The Freedom Forum's eighth annual International Journalists-in-Residence program. "The Freedom Forum welcomes journalists from countries as diverse as China and Zambia to see how the free press works in a democratic society," said Charles L. Overby, chairman and chief executive officer of The Freedom Forum. "We hope they return home educated about press freedom and inspired by free-press ideals."

Alfred Ogbamey, 26, a senior staff correspondent and business page editor at The Ghanaian Chronicle, will represent Ghana.

The International Journalists-in-Residence program aims to promote better understanding of the principles of press freedom and the U.S. media among foreign journalists. Participants spend four months in the United States taking courses at universities, attending lectures and seminars, and spending time at news agencies across the country. They must be working journalists with at least two years of experience plus proficiency in written and spoken English. The Freedom Forum covers travel costs and basic living expenses, but does not pay a salary or honorarium.

This year's program includes print and broadcast journalists from Argentina, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Ecuador, Ghana, Haiti, Kenya, Malaysia, Moldova and Zambia. Their host universities will be American University and George Washington University in Washington, D.C.; New York University in New York City; and the University of California-Berkeley.

Brief biographical sketches of the Journalists-in-Residence:

Alfred Ogbamey, 26, is the senior staff correspondent and business page editor at The Ghanaian Chronicle, Ghana's leading independent newspaper. Ogbamey began his career in 1996 as a free-lance writer and stringer for a variety of newspapers, including The Weekend Chronicle and Second Image. He also has written scripts for an evening entertainment program at a local FM radio station, Groove 106.3. He graduated from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 1998.