This was one of the most interesting and inspiring speaker trips that I have ever experienced.

I first visited Phnom Penh, Cambodia for three days in October 2012, when I was evaluating the radio program "Asia Calling" for a USAID grant. Although I was only in Cambodia for a short time, it was long enough to make me want to come back. Not only was I captivated by the spirit of the journalists whom I met at the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), but after visiting S21 and the Choeung Ek Killing Fields, I also wanted to learn more about Cambodia. I wanted to try to understand how the Cambodian people had survived such terrible times, and where they had found the strength to get on with their lives with such remarkable resiliency.

During that first very short visit, I was also struck by the similarities between journalism in Cambodia and what I had observed in other countries making the transition to democracy, especially Indonesia, Malaysia and East Timor. As an American lecturer with considerable experience in teaching about journalism theory and practice in Southeast Asia, I thought that perhaps I could make a small contribution.

So I wrote to Public Affairs Officer Sean McIntosh and asked if the US Embassy in Cambodia had a speaker program and if they would be interested in having me come as a "target of opportunity" speaker. He and the embassy took my proposal seriously and applied for the grant that made this trip possible.

Students loved hearing a native speaker and having a chance to interact with an American. (This was most clearly the case in Battambang and Siem Riep, where we were treated like movie stars.)

One point that I kept reiterating was that the role of journalism in a democracy is to give the citizens the information they need in order to make wise political decisions. I felt that it was important to emphasize this among audiences that were not primarily journalism students, so that they too would understand why independent media are so essential to democracy.

Many of the students wanted to know what I thought about YouTube and Facebook, and whether or not they ought to be regulated. (Obviously no – although I did emphasize that what makes social media different from journalism is that what you read there has not necessarily been verified.)

Students had a lot of questions about the US, and about our media system. Does our government regulate the press? How about public television? I did a lot of explaining about how public radio works, and how it is not the voice of the government.

Several people wanted to know if American journalists were free to criticize the government. In responding, I offered several recent examples with which I thought they might possibly be familiar, including conservative criticism of "Obamacare" and liberal criticism of the president's inability to get gun control legislation passed. I also pointed out that as a US Embassy speaker, nobody was controlling what I said, and that I was free to express my own views as a citizen.

I think that for young people in particular, having a chance to talk about their hopes and dreams for the future was important in and of itself. Many of them asked pointed questions about how Cambodian media differed from that of the US and solicited my views of Cambodian journalism. Often they prefaced these questions with statements about what they saw happening in their own country. I felt that this was a very good sign, in that young people do not seem to be afraid of speaking their minds – at least not in Phnom Penh.

In Battambang and Siem Reap, several students asked questions that really tore at my heart. In Siem Reap, a female student asked what I thought she should say to her parents when they expressed fears for her safety if she spoke out about politics. The previous day, in Battambang, a young monk had asked me almost exactly the same question. In both cases, I said that as a foreigner, I really couldn't answer that - that their parents' generation had survived unimaginable trauma, and that we should respect their suffering but also understand that the world was different now. And then I said that they were their parents' beautiful, precious children, and that of course they wanted to protect them from the kind of evil they had experienced during the Pol Pot years.

When I asked the students in Battambang what they thought about this topic, a young law student stood up and spoke very passionately about how his generation had to try to make their parents understand that times were different, and that all they wanted was to make their country a better place.

I was also interviewed on Cambodian television. This was quite a challenge, as it was state-controlled TV, and I was trying to say something meaningful that wouldn't be censored and could easily be translated into Khmer.

In Cambodia I was reminded once again of how essential the local embassy staff are in building bridges between their own countries and the American people. I am so grateful for having had this opportunity to visit Cambodia. Although I am still incapable of comprehending the horrors of the Pol Pot years, thanks to what I observed during this trip, and most especially thanks to the explanations and insights offered by Vanrith Chrea, the embassy's senior cultural Cambodian information specialist, I now have a better understanding of how the Cambodian people have managed to endure.

This full time position is for a scholar who will be appointed as a postdoctoral research scientist to work closely for one year on research projects with Robert Entman, Shapiro Professor of Media and Public Affairs, and Kimberly Gross, Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs. The position is designed for a recent recipient of the Ph.D. For 2013-14, research will focus on the politics and policies of inequality, using quantitative and qualitative content analysis of media and experimental research.

The fellow will devote three to four days per week to collaborative work with Professor Entman and the rest of the time to research projects of their choosing. This position carries a $50,000 salary and comes with full benefits.

The person appointed must have a Ph.D. in communication, political science or a related discipline by August 1, 2013 and an excellent record of published research in political communication or a record suggesting great promise as demonstrated by scholarly works in progress and recommendations. Preference will be given to individuals with extensive experience in quantitative content analysis. Background and training in experimental methods is highly desirable.

Application procedure:
Complete online application at https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/15562 and upload a cover letter, C.V., writing samples, a 500-750 word proposal for personal research that might be carried out during the year at GW, and the names of three scholars who can be contacted for recommendations. Review of applications will begin on June 1, 2013.

An internationally recognized center for research and teaching in political and international communication, The George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs is a dynamic, interdisciplinary program based in the heart of Washington, D.C., where media, public affairs and politics intersect. We offer two undergraduate majors (journalism/mass communication and political communication) as well as an MA degree in media and public affairs. We also offer an MA degree in Global Communication jointly with the Elliot School of International Affairs. More information on the School can be found here.

The George Washington University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

Cheryl W. Thompson joins us from The Washington Post, where she has distinguished herself as an award-winning investigative journalist covering politics, crime and corruption. Her fearless reporting led to the prosecution and imprisonment of former Prince George's County (MD) executive Jack Johnson. Thompson has more than 25 years of newspaper reporting experience, including at The Gainesville Sun in Florida, the Los Angeles Daily News, the Chicago Tribune and The Kansas City Star. She arrived at The Washington Post in 1997, where she was a Metro Reporter and National Reporter before moving to the Investigative Unit. She also served as a White House Correspondent during a part of President Obama’s first term.

“Investigative skills will always be in demand,” Thompson said. “I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned over the years with my students.”

Cheryl W. Thompson

Thompson, who will continue to do investigative projects for The Washington Post, is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communication and a master’s in journalism. She also has a certificate in Investigative Reporting from the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, Fla. Thompson has been an adjunct lecturer at Georgetown and Howard universities, and the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. In 2002, Thompson was part of a team of Washington Post reporters awarded the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. She also is the recipient of two Salute to Excellence awards from the National Association of Black Journalists and a 2011 Emmy Award from the National Capital Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Imani M. Cheers is a former PBS Newshour executive, where she managed a team of reporters, created a media literacy curriculum and directed a participatory multimedia journalism program for elementary, secondary and post-secondary students. She has 14 years of multimedia work under her belt, having produced music videos, commercials, documentary shorts and educational videos for a variety of purposes. Cheers started her career as a director and producer for Washington University in St. Louis television and has written for Newsweek and USA Today. She has also served as a producer and writer for Howard University Television. Cheers holds an undergraduate degree in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as graduate degrees in African Studies and Research and in Mass Communications and Media Studies from Howard University. She also has a certificate in Women’s Studies from Howard University.

Imani M. Cheers

“I am thrilled to be working with a dynamic and eclectic group of experts and professionals at the School of Media and Public Affairs,” said Cheers. “I especially look forward to my interactions with very bright, talented students, honing their multimedia skills in an ever-changing media environment.”

Emily Thorson was most recently at the University of Pennsylvania, where she received her PhD in both Communication and Political Science. Her research explores how voters draw on information to form opinions about politics, and what the media can do to ensure that citizens are fully informed. Thorson’s current research focuses on how misinformation can affect attitudes even after it is successfully corrected by creating "belief echoes." She also holds an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

Emily Thorson

All three new faculty members begin teaching at SMPA this fall.

Produced for the National Park Service, "The War at Home" will be watched by thousands of people as they visit the National Historical Park in San Francisco, California. It will screen every hour for the next two decades in a theater specifically designed to immerse audiences in the emotional experience of the film.

Here's a listing of the awards the film has won so far:

Silver Telly (first place) - History/Biography
Silver Telly (first place) - Sound/Sound Mix
Bronze Telly (second place) - Set Design
Bronze Telly - (second place) - Screen Writing
Special Jury Prize - Best in Video and Film Production, Worldfest Houston
Gold Communicator Award of Excellence - Screen Writing, International Academy of the Visual Arts
Gold Communicator Award of Excellence - Use of Music, International Academy of the Visual Arts
Silver Communicator Award of Distinction - History/Biography, International Academy of the Visual Arts
Silver Communicator Award of Distinction - Set Design, International Academy of the Visual Arts

Click here for more information.

The end of last week marked the biggest and one of the final steps in my GW career as a graduating Political Communication major. I hosted my very first documentary preview screening for my film, "Verge of Existence." The piece, funded by the first ever Manheim-Sterling Undergraduate Research Prize, looks into the lives of LGBTQ homeless youth living in New York City. As I spent hours last week in the edit bays of the 5th floor, I couldn't help but realize that these may be some of the last moments I would edit here. And as the hours ticked by, I felt a strange sense of nostalgia for the many hours I had already spent in SMPA over the last four years.

Sara sat on a panel as a student filmmaker.

But with the support of some of the best SMPA faculty and the Internship Database, I began to find my footing right where my heart had been set the entire time. My mini-documentary from Jason Osder's class landed in the National Film Festival for Talented Youth in 2011, and I got to sit on a panel called "Out of the Closet, Onto the Screen" as an 'expert' student filmmaker. I traveled to Chattanooga, TN with Bridgett Lynn to see what made the newest Volkswagen Plant the first LEED Platinum Auto Plant in the world. I did all of this while interning with amazing companies like Prime Movers Media, Planet Forward, Spark Media, Believe Out Loud and National Geographic Society.

Sara at her documentary's preview screening.

When the lights went down and the music started playing from my film, I was overwhelmed by how many familiar faces filled my audience. I have felt so much love and support from my classmates and all of the amazing professors that helped me reach my full potential in this program.

I have never felt more proud to be part of a community like SMPA. People always say that SMPA majors have more SMPA pride than GW pride, and I can certainly say that I've felt that last week. There is no place I have been more proud to call home than the School of Media and Public Affairs.

The Master of Arts degree in Media and Public Affairs offers students the opportunity to study strategic political communication applied to domestic and international issues. This program is designed for students who are interested in the intersection among media, communication, and politics.

In addition, SMPA offers an MA in Global Communication in conjunction with the Elliott School of International Affairs and a certificate in Documentary Filmmaking with the Documentary Center.

For more information and access to the online application, please click here.

Over the past four months I have had the privilege of interning for BBC World News America (WNA) in Washington, DC. The BBC is a highly respected and massive news organization, so the idea of being their production intern for their live, nightly newscast was a dream to me. I landed the internship last fall after I contacted the editor of WNA, Kate Farrell, and was eager to experience something new for my last semester of college. What I got out of interning for WNA was everything I expected and more.

I began the internship in January and was thrilled to be part of the behind-the-scenes action of in-depth reports on the major international and US news of the day. On my first day there, I was welcomed by an energizing and exciting crew of BBC employees from a wide range of on-air news channels such as BBC Radio and BBC Arabic. As a bonus, the bureau is located only a half mile from GW's campus, which made getting to the internship from my classes a breeze.

Live production at the MLK Memorial.

One of my most memorable days working for WNA was when the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez was announced dead. I arrived at the BBC around 2 PM that Tuesday, and it seemed like it was going to be another regular day at the office. Not long before pre-production for the 5 PM show, I went to the lobby of the BBC and met one of our scheduled guests Michael Shifter, the president of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington-based think tank on Latin America. Originally Shifter was going to be interviewed by WNA's anchor, Katty Kay, about the recent reports of Chávez's deteriorating health and speculation that someone may have deliberately infected Chávez with cancer.

Minutes before the show started, I watched the several television screens in the control room when Kay said from the newsroom studio that Chávez had died. I rushed to tell Shifter the news, and we had him set up for his interview earlier than planned. The show started slightly before schedule that night with a special "BREAKING NEWS" subtitle, and Kay interviewed Shifter about Venezuela and Chávez's legacy. I ran on adrenaline as I was sent back and forth from the control room to the news desk to deliver new information as it came in.

The rest of my time spent at the BBC consisted of researching, transcribing interviews including one with American author and poet Maya Angelou, meeting prominent figures like former Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and using Twitter to promote upcoming shows. I was surprised every day by how much I learned at the BBC's DC bureau, and my internship for WNA has increased my knowledge of international reporting and television news production. I have had internships at other media organizations, including World Footprints Media, CBS Evening News, NBC Washington and Charlottesville Tomorrow, and I could not have asked for a better experience during my final semester at GW. I hope that I can use what I have learned and continue working in challenging media environments after I graduate in May.