The Role of Foreign Correspondents in Cultural and Science Diplomacy. IES Policy Brief No. 12, October 2018

Terzis, Georgios and Armstrong, Linsey (2018) The Role of Foreign Correspondents in Cultural and Science Diplomacy. IES Policy Brief No. 12, October 2018. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

The media have historically been seen as builders of nations, namely through unifying experiences by providing a platform for citizens to exchange opinions on common public matters (Habermas, 1962/1989; Siapera, 2004) but also through comparative experiences by providing a platform to discuss their differences or similarities from citizens and systems of other nations. Foreign news reporting allows people to be aware about events and issues around the world, and can influence how people as well as institutions communicate and interact among themselves and with those of other nations (Obijiofor & Hanusch, 2011). Decades ago, government officials and diplomats began to recognise the influence foreign correspondents (FCs) held as they provided home audiences with news from abroad. According to Archetti (2011, p. 2), “the image of the world foreign correspondents construct through their reports also constitutes the common knowledge base on which government officials and diplomats will take their decisions”. Throughout recent years, the role of foreign correspondents and challenges they face have changed, prompting questions about the profession, given their task of shaping the “image of a country to the eyes of foreign audiences” (Archetti, 2011).

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