Reprinted with permission of the Bayonet, Fort Benning, Georgia, October 20, 2006

By Annette Fournier
Bayonet staff

Six years ago, Semantics King Jr. fled his native Liberia a wanted man. In his war-torn homeland, King hosted a radio show focusing on human rights abuses, but one day he said too much. His guests were two women who had been raped by security officers, and the government was ignoring it along with other violent crimes. King accused the government of failing to protect its citizens.

That's when the death threats began. Armed men showed up at his house when he wasn't home and he narrowly managed to escape from armed security officers who tried to drag him off the street.

King fled to a refugee camp in Ghana where 42,000 Liberians had gathered. He had lost track of his family during the flight and ended up alone and penniless. So King got a job making $150 per month, and saved until he could start his own newspaper, The Vision and TheVisionOnline.net. King was one of 10 international reporters who visited Fort Benning Tuesday. The reporters are participating in a four month educational program offered by the World Press Institute. WPI's program is intended to teach international journalists about American culture, government and organizations, and to show how freedom of the press functions in a democracy.

Most of the journalists come from developing nations where governments censor the media, said Peter Bradley, WPI development officer. The reporters came from China, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Senegal, Australia, Brazil and Spain. The other journalists told about their own struggles to function in their homelands.

Sam Vulum manages a magazine in Papua New Guinea.

"Unlike my colleagues in America, I write for, and about, a nation which is at the beginning of its development as a sovereign entity," Vulum said. "I deal every day with a world in flux. I cannot automatically assume that there will be consistency in the outlook of political leaders, that my paycheck will buy the same amount of food each week or that the power will be on to run the press."

In his native Senegal, Mamadou Thior is the chief editor of political affairs for a public service radio and television station. During the trip, he wanted to learn about American politics and perspectives.

"Since 9/11, the American people pay more attention to the outside world," Thior said, "but I don't think your media tells the whole story. If you want news about other places, especially Africa, you have to search for it."

Kyaw Min Swe visited from Myanmar. Formerly known as Burma, it is run by a military dictatorship. Swe is chief editor for a monthly business magazine and two weekly newspapers.

All stories, advertisements and images must be approved by the government before anything is printed, Swe said. They're only allowed to print weekly so the government has time to approve the publication.

"Hearing the American media criticizing the government, it's strange for me," Swe said.

"We can't touch the government, but it's the media's job to tell the stories. We try to mobilize our people in different ways."

Swe admired the freedom of the press, but when the WPI visited NASA, Swe, King and Lu Hongyong from China, were not allowed to enter.

"I didn't understand that," Swe said. "Where is the fairness and equality in that? We are independent reporters, but they don't see who we are. They only see where we come from."

Besides NASA, the WPI reporters tour government institutions, major and local news outlets, major American corporations, churches, and a prison. Fort Benning is the only military installation on the agenda.

During their tour the reporters were briefed by post leaders, ate lunch with Soldiers, visited Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 and the Combined Combat Tactical Trainer.

While nine journalists tried their marksmanship skills in the EST 2000, King stepped outside to escape the sounds of gun shots.

"It's been six years since I heard the sounds of guns," King said.

"My dad was in the Liberian Army so I've been to military camps before. But he died in the war. Hearing guns brings back the trauma."

In his newspaper, King continues to focus on civil rights and tries to bring the story of Liberians to the world's attention.

From its meager beginnings, his newspaper now has a staff of seven local and five international journalists.

"Many days I went without food so I could pay to print the paper," King said. "Being a reporter is not just a way to pay the bills. It's a calling. It was my responsibility to tell our stories, to give the refugees a voice."