CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (May 9, 2005) — The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, in cooperation with the Fairbank Center for East Asian Research at Harvard and the Harvard University Asia Center, will sponsor an educational program for senior Chinese officials working with foreign media during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The program, to be held from June 20-June 27 at the Nieman Foundation in Cambridge, Mass., is designed to introduce the senior officials to the history, traditions and values of a free press in the United States.

During the eight-day program, U.S. journalists, academics and other specialists will cover such topics as the role of journalism in the United States, the needs of different types of news media, stories the Western press might be interested in covering and sports reporting. Interpreters will provide consecutive translation and some written materials will also be translated.

The Nieman Foundation is the oldest and best-known midcareer fellowship program in journalism. Twenty-four Nieman Fellowships are awarded each year, 12 to international journalists and 12 to U.S. journalists. Since 1981, 15 journalists from China have participated in the Nieman Fellowship program.

The Fairbank Center for East Asian Research at Harvard was founded in 1955. It houses scholars at Harvard and nearby universities working on China, provides fellowships for post-doctoral researchers, and sponsors lectures and conferences on China and its relations with other Asian countries.

The Harvard University Asia Center, a university-wide interfaculty initiative established in 1997, reflects Harvard’s deep commitment to the study of Asia. The Center is an umbrella organization that coordinates and facilitates interdisciplinary and inter-regional programs in East, South and Southeast Asia. The Asia Center works closely with other centers and programs in Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and professional schools as well as other universities and government organizations.