Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Institute for Diplomacy Presents News Awards

The Institute for the Study of Diplomacy awarded Carla Robbins, Chief Diplomatic correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, and Karen DeYoung, Associate Editor for The Washington Post, with the Edward Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting, an annual award presented to one or more journalists for excellence in reporting on foreign policy and diplomacy.

In a frank conversation about the coverage of diplomatic efforts leading up to the war in Iraq, Robbins and DeYoung discussed their most interesting and challenging experiences. Both journalists spoke about how exciting it was to cover the foreign policy wrangling that occurred before the war in Iraq, contrasting it with the more straightforward “boom-boom” coverage that inevitably occurs during war time. They also described the paradigm shift in policy and thinking that occurred after Sept. 11, allowing the Bush administration to pursue its unilateralist foreign policy without fear of reprisal.

“After Sept. 11, there was a great outpouring of sympathy, a willingness to join together,” DeYoung said. “Because of the way some of the aspects of the war on terrorism was conducted, [the administration] began to offend people in a systematic way.”

She told of American “jump teams,” who would follow financial trails to target people in the war on terror, then demand that other countries freeze their assets without giving them any evidence or explanation. “The administration said, `No, you have to do it because we need your help, we were attacked.'”

Robbins agreed, as she expressed consternation about Bush’s refusal to accept NATO’s invocation of Article 5, which would have committed NATO forces to the common defense of America. This refusal occurred right after the leading French Newspaper Le Monde ran the headline “We are all Americans” following the attack on the World Trade Center to show France’s solidarity with the U.S.

Robbins said that the level of alienation between America and its allies as contrasted to the period after Sept. 11 surprised her. “It’s strange, because I’m basically a hawk on Iraq, but I’m uncomfortable,” she said, referring to Bush’s “strong-arm” diplomatic tactics. Robbins’ coverage of Bush’s diplomacy efforts leading up to the Security Council resolution exemplifies these hardliner tendencies that have since backfired, as evidenced by Germany and France, which continue to block resolution in the Security Council that could be perceived as supporting the war.

“The administration always thought the U.S. would get the votes,” she said. “In a long series of successes on bullying, this was the moment when it fell apart.”

The theme of unity ran through the conversation, as both Robbins and DeYoung talked about the need of the Bush administration to maintain unity and that maintaining this appearance was the primary focus of its relations with the media. “They care about stories that say there are divisions in the White House,” DeYoung said. “It’s a strategy that works for them – they’re very organized and want to stay on message – even though it’s sometimes damaging,” she said, referring to the way that the administration and the Pentagon handled Taliban propaganda and civilian casualties during the war in Afghanistan.

Contrasting the inaccessibility of the Bush administration with previous administrations and the United Nations, Robbins and DeYoung commented on the difficulty of gaining access to top administration officials, especially since the war began. DeYoung commented that she didn’t think that any reporter had spoken with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice since the war began.

Both women asserted that the way that the war ends will play a major role in shaping public opinion toward the administration as well as the way that media coverage shifts from a conflict to a post-conflict phase. Robbins said that the nature of post-war coverage will depend on the intensity of conflict, drawing a parallel to Afghanistan, where she called the lack of coverage “immoral.”

DeYoung seemed ready to return to reporting on the intricacies of diplomacy and post-war reconstruction once the war is over. “I’m not sure Americans will find it as fascinating as 24 hours of war,” DeYoung said, “but in journalistic terms it’s more interesting because it goes back into our realm, away from the bong-bang that we know will be on the front page.”

Marvin Kalb, who facilitated the discussion, spoke about the importance that journalists for leading newspapers play by putting diplomacy into perspective for people and policy-makers, Generals and think tanks. “Their work has been simply outstanding in the buildup to war,” he said, encouraging young people to go into journalism and follow in the paths of Robbins and DeYoung.

More than 150 faculty, students and guests attended the awards ceremony in ICC auditorium on Wednesday night. The Weintal program, which honors Polish diplomat and correspondent for Newsweek Edward Weintal, awards scholarships to MSFS students, bestows prizes for diplomatic reporting, and provides a forum for an address on international affairs.

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