The money, announced last night as NPR journalist Lourdes Garcia-Navarro was honored with an Edward R. Murrow award, “will help support journalists and producers stationed across five key NPR foreign bureaus – Jerusalem, Cairo, Beirut, Shanghai and Beijing,” says a CPB press release. “The funding will enable these journalists to continue reporting feature stories for broadcast, web and mobile platforms.” (The full release is after the jump.) || Related: NPR’s Andy Carvin won in the “#Journalist” category of Monday night’s Shorty Awards
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Awards Grant to NPR for Foreign News Coverage
The grant will help support journalists and producers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia
Washington, D.C. (March 27, 2012) – The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) last evening announced a $500,000 grant to NPR to support continued foreign news reporting from some of the world’s most challenging regions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
NPR’s foreign correspondents are on the front lines, reporting on historic events – from the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa to the earthquake and ensuing tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan. Foreign coverage requires considerably more investment than domestic coverage in the form of travel, equipment, technical support and local staff, such as translators and expeditors. Safe housing, security training and protective equipment are standard safeguards for reporters and bureau staff. A series of on-going, major international events this past year has put a strain on NPR’s resources.
The grant from CPB will help support journalists and producers stationed across five key NPR foreign bureaus – Jerusalem, Cairo, Beirut, Shanghai and Beijing. The funding will enable these journalists to continue reporting feature stories for broadcast, web and mobile platforms.
“Never has public media’s mission of providing the American people with information they need to understand the world around them been more important,” said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB. “Journalism is a core mission for public media. We are proud to support NPR’s foreign reporters, many of whom are women, who put themselves in harm’s way to bring us the information we need to understand world events.”
“This grant couldn’t come at a better time given the enormous investment we’ve made in foreign coverage this year,” said NPR President and CEO Gary Knell. “Our foreign journalists are remarkable – everyday they face difficult and often dangerous situations as they bring these important stories home.”
NPR currently maintains 17 foreign news bureaus around the world – more than any other broadcast news organization in the United States—plus three U.S.-based correspondents who cover foreign affairs and travel frequently. In recent years, the organization opened a new bureau in Islamabad, Pakistan, making it one of the few news organizations with bureaus in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
CPB announced the grant to NPR last evening at an event to honor Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, NPR’s foreign correspondent based in Jerusalem. Garcia-Navarro received CPB’s 35th Edward R. Murrow Award, which recognizes individuals for their outstanding contribution to public radio. CPB presented the award to Garcia-Navarro for her in-depth coverage of world events, particularly from volatile regions, and in honor of all international correspondents and journalists who undertake great risks to report on the people and cultures impacted by conflict.
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