When reporters from other countries come to America, the U.S. Foreign Press Centers connect them with sources and information they need to better report on U.S. policies, values and culture.
The first foreign press center opened in New York in 1946 as hundreds of reporters descended on the city to cover the recently established United Nations. In 1961, the U.S. government opened a second office in Washington, housed in the National Press Building, and the two offices — run by the U.S. Department of State — are now known as the Foreign Press Centers.
Today, these centers work with 1,500 U.S.-based correspondents from 92 countries. Additionally, the centers bring roughly 100 correspondents to the U.S. for reporting opportunities each year.
“Through these centers, we provide a media credential to help [foreign journalists] report in the United States,” says Ryan Roberts, director of the FPC in Washington. The press centers arrange briefings with U.S. officials and experts, as well as reporting tours that enable foreign journalists to see more of the country and gain “connections and context on living and working” in the U.S., Roberts said.
The access the FPC provides informs content, but journalists’ reporting is entirely their own. “Working in the United States, foreign journalists experience a free media environment,” Roberts said. Foreign reporters meet American journalists and share their experiences.
Providing connections
The FPC connections support reporting on national and global topics, ranging from U.S. economic policies to migration and the climate crisis, to Russia’s unjust war against Ukraine, and more. Partnerships with U.S. agencies, such as NASA or the National Park Service, expose reporters to America’s culture of innovation and to its natural wonders.
Roberts says FPC programs “highlight different aspects of American life — such as a behind-the-scenes tour of New York’s iconic Apollo Theater or an overview of the U.S. courts system.”
During the run-up to the 2024 presidential election in November, FPCs will support foreign journalists’ coverage of presidential campaigns and primaries, as well as similar events for congressional elections. To facilitate election season coverage, FPC programs will:
- Host foreign media at political conventions where the two major parties nominate their respective presidential candidates. FPCs have hosted foreign media at the nominating conventions since 1976.
- Offer tours of polling sites to support coverage of the training of election officials.
“These programs aim to connect foreign media with Americans directly, to help reporters gain an accurate understanding of how our election process works at a local, state and national level,” Roberts said.
Informing coverage
Foreign journalists credit the FPC with facilitating their reporting. In a recent FPC survey, journalists said FPC programs helped them better understand topics, including America’s election process and voting technologies.
Those who attended a tour described U.S. polling stations as friendly and welcoming, staffed by community members rather than guarded by police, as in some countries. Foreign journalists also appreciated the ability to freely approach people on the street for interviews.
“There is intense interest in what is happening in the United States,” Roberts said, noting that a free press is critical for democracy. “It’s vital that the information [the] foreign public receives is accurate and explains the complexity of our system in an approachable way.”
