RIAS BERLIN KOMMISSION

13/10/2025

08/09/2025

We are excited to introduce you to our September program fellows! These dynamic 11 American journalists kick off their two-week program with a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels to discuss Ukraine and the U.S.-NATO relations. The group will continue their journey with stops in Cologne, Leipzig and Berlin. Their busy itinerary includes meetings with the European Commission to discuss trade, immigration, newsroom visits, and a tour of the East Side Gallery in Berlin. They will join RIAS alumni Jamie Coughlin Silverman and Gabriel Silverman at the screening of their documentary “The Spies Among Us” on East German secret police, featuring longtime speaker and former political prisoner Peter Keup. Follow our social media pages to keep up with their adventures!

Constance Jones, NBC 6, Miami, Florida
Reuben Jones, Spectrum News, Washington, D.C.
Astrid Méndez, KRGV-Noticias RGV, Weslaco, Texas
Tara Puckey, RTDNA, Indianapolis, Indiana
Jonathan Lowe, WSOC, Charlotte, North Carolina
Ana Campbell, The Texas Newsroom, Austin, Texas

Fenly Foxen, CNN, Atlanta, Georgia
Matt Martin, KUOW, Seattle, Washington
Marlissa Collier, The Dallas Nomad, Dallas, Texas
Becca Costello, WVXU, Cincinnati, Ohio
Dionne Anglin, KDFW-TV, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas

27/06/2025

Our program champions transatlantic relationship building between American and German journalists. This week, our June fellows shadowed German journalists in their day-to-day, working shoulder to shoulder.

They attended the Chancellor’s briefing to parliament as press members at the Bundestag, interviewed Christian Democrat Armin Laschet, joined editorial meetings about covering Iran, Israel and the U.S. and reported on breaking news, including a storm that shutdown the S-bahn in Berlin.

Thank you to our colleagues at Deutsche Welle, dpa, Deutschlandradio, RTL, RBB and WELT for opening the doors of their newsrooms to our fellows.

One of our fellows, Bradley George of North Carolina Public Radio-WUNC was interviewed by Deutschlandfunk Kultur about possible federal cuts to NPR and local NPR stations. Listen to the interview here, at minute 25:

https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/trump-und-die-eu-2-4-sozialpolitik-auf-dem-abstellgleis-100.html

16/06/2025

Eleven American journalists are kicking off our June program in Brussels today. These seasoned professionals will be spending two weeks in Europe with stops in Brussels, Cologne, Leipzig and Berlin. They will be meeting officials at the European Commission to discuss trade, far-right parties and immigration, and get background at NATO on Ukraine and the prospects for the alliance's relations with the U.S.

Think tanks in Belgium and Germany and encounters with politicians are also on the agenda as well as exchanges with representatives of civil society.

The group will learn from their German counterparts through shadowing reporters and editors at dpa, WELT, RTL, DW, RBB and Deutschlandfunk.

Follow our social media pages to keep up with their adventures.

Annette Arreola, KNBC, Los Angeles, California
Bradley George, WUNC, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Lydia Calitri, NPR, Washington, D.C.
Janelle Finch, 9NEWS, Denver, Colorado
Ryan Cooper, Spectrum News, Los Angeles, California
Mia Salenetri, CBS News, Washington, D.C.
Lillian Donahue, ABC 15, Phoenix, Arizona
Sam Meyer, CNN, New York, New York
Aimee Cho NBC 4, Washington, D.C.
Eve Troeh, Wait What Productions, Los Angeles, California
Cristina Maza, National Journal, Washington, D.C.

16/06/2025

We are excited to welcome Lillian Donahue to the RIAS family!

29/05/2025

We are excited to introduce our ERP American journalism students! These eleven students spent their first week in Berlin visiting Deutsche Welle, Deutschlandradio, the Bundestag and Tempelhof Airport among other visits. Their three-week program includes discussions on journalism, politics and transatlantic relationships with students at Free University Berlin, University of Erfurt, Leipzig University, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal, Axel Springer Journalism Academy and Hamburg University for Applied Sciences. The group is finishing up a dynamic and insightful weeklong visit to Dresden, Erfurt, Eisenach, Leipzig and Chemnitz, the European Cultural Capital 2025. Next week, the group heads to Magdeburg, Hamburg and back to Berlin to continue learning about the history of broadcast media during the Cold War, visiting newsrooms and engaging in political discussions.

Nayeli Jaramillo, University of North Carolina
Ben Kwadu, University of Central Oklahoma
Jerin Tasnim, Stony Brook University
Lola Murti, University of Georgia
Sophia Hammer,University of Arizona
Sophia da Silva, University of Maryland

Daniela Cazares, University of Arizona
Canyon Mizera, Sacramento State University
Katie Hallum, University of Oklahoma
Abigail Watts, University of Georgia
Carly Gist, Southern Illinois University

27/05/2025

Congratulations to our 2025 RIAS Media Awards winners! This year we celebrated journalists for their contributions to transatlantic relationships and coverage of German American topics.

The winners are the following:

Fellows Award: Cooper Seamer
KDLT Dakota News Now – German filmmaker travels to America
Watch here: https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/2024/09/12/german-discovers-connects-with-south-dakota-relatives/

Digital Award: Melissa Körner, Rieke Smit, Emma Miesler
Use The News Vlog – Trump Rally in New York City
Watch here: https://www.tiktok.com/.was.geht/video/7430911563894246678

TV Award: Christine Rütten
On the trail of prisoner-of-war fathers / Hessischer Rundfunk
Watch here: https://www.arte.tv/de/videos/115493-003-A/re-auf-der-spur-der-kriegsgefangenen-vaeter/

Radio Award: Halle Parker, Carlyle Calhoun
WNNO New Orleans – All Gassed up Episode 2: The German Connection
Listen here: https://www.wwno.org/podcast/sea-change/2024-04-02/all-gassed-up-part2

Grand Prize: Laura Nix
Democracy under attack – ARTE / WDR

Thank you to our jury for their dedicated time and effort in selecting the winners. The jury is co-chaired by Michael Gargiulo and Anja Heyde. The other members are journalists Helge Fuhst, Oliver Sallet, Charlotte Potts, Christian Wilp, Larry Miller and Melissa Eddy.

If you’d like to learn more about the winning pieces, listen to the RIAS Fireside podcast hosted RIAS alum Michael Meyer.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZEsQ9OR0E0tXCPSxEHEIlJjPwHWaFOMR/view

21/03/2025

🚀 Exciting times for our ERP German students! 🎉 Celebrating three amazing years, this week kicked off in Washington, D.C., with an inspiring agenda.

They began their journey at NPR, where RIAS fellow Lydia Calitri led a tour and facilitated a roundtable with NPR’s Chief Washington Editor, Krishnadew Calamur, and Europe Editor, Nick Spicer.

The students also visited WTOP with JJ Green, discussing the future of journalism, followed by a tour of NBC 4 with Melinda Woolbright.

A special thank you to RIAS alums Janelle Dumalaon and Karin Caifa for sharing their insights on covering the U.S. media landscape, empowering our students with invaluable perspectives from dynamic female journalists.

Additionally, political analyst Matthew Klein from The Cook Report offered insights on the recent presidential election and upcoming midterms.

This week has been a fantastic opportunity for growth, networking, and learning! 🌍✍️

17/03/2025

Introducing our ERP German journalism students! These students will spend this week in Washington, D.C. visiting NPR, WTOP, NBC 4, New America, the Cook Report and the Capitol among other stops and exchanges with journalists covering the capital. Afterwards they will visit universities across the country to have intensive discussions and learning experiences with their peers for a week, including the University of Oklahoma, Indiana University, University of Arizona, University of Georgia and University of Nebraska.

Rosalie Elli Scholz, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
David Kirchner, University of Mainz/Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris
Marianna Hene, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
Clara Dünkler, University of Leipzig
Melvin Thum , University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
Kean Kalinowski, Free University Berlin
Jette Minks , University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
Max Beckmann, Media University of Applied Sciences Berlin
Jan Sören Schmitt, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
Elena Dominick, University of Applied Sciences Hannover
Jana Herrmann, University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal
Katrin Engler, Free University Berlin

16/03/2025

Bridging Borders Through Journalism: The RIAS Fellows' Journey

After traveling across the Midwest and Southwest with American journalists for individual station days, the German RIAS Fellows arrived in Philadelphia—The City of Brotherly Love—for the third leg of their journey.

Philadelphia holds a special place in American history, as the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the site of the Constitutional Convention. For 33 years, the RIAS Berlin Commission has fostered strong connections between German and American journalists, promoting the free exchange of ideas, perspectives, and mutual understanding.

While in Philly, the fellows explored the city’s rich historical and cultural heritage with visits to:

📍 The Liberty Bell

📍 Independence Hall

📍 Lest We Forget Museum of Slavery

📍 German Society of Pennsylvania (book talk and dinner)

📍 Love Park

📍 Historical Society of Pennsylvania

The two-week journey concluded in New York City, where the fellows gathered for an exchange with New York based RIAS alumni, near NYC's iconic Times Square—an inspiring end to an incredible experience.

Grateful for the opportunity to continue strengthening transatlantic ties through journalism!

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11/03/2025

The second half of our week in Washington D.C. was truly remarkable for the Spring 2025 RIAS Fellows! 🇩🇪🇺🇸

Our group of German journalists had the privilege of attending the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) First Amendment Awards Ceremony at the iconic Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, where inspiring American journalists were honored for their exceptional contributions to the field. Honorees included Leslie Stahl (CBS), Rachel Scott (ABC), Omar Jimenez (CNN), Steve Inskeep (NPR’s Morning Edition) among others.

As the exchange program continued, the German journalists had a number of valuable encounters:

Engaging conversations with RIAS alum David Bruns and James Hohmann, Editorial Writer and Columnist The Washington Post.

A discussion with Ivanley Noisette, Legislative Director for Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi (D-NY) about the differences in political party systems between the two nations.

And a brief meeting with Margaret Brennan, Moderator of Face The Nation, during a tour of the CBS News Washington Bureau with incoming RIAS Fellow Mia Salenetri.

Over the weekend, the group traveled to Virginia, where they had the unique opportunity to visit the Mattaponi Indian Tribe and Reservation. After a tour of the Mattaponi Museum, led by Lois Custalow Carter, Chief Mark Custalow and Assistant Chief Brandon Custalow spoke to the group about the challenges for the tribal council and government relations in a changing political climate.

Since 1992, the RIAS Berlin Commission has been committed to promoting exchanges of ideas and fostering mutual understanding between broadcasters in Germany and the U.S.

The Fellows will continue their journey with upcoming station tours in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Michigan, and Chicago; several meeting up with American RIAS alumni before heading to Philadelphia, where they’ll dive deep into U.S. history, exploring the place of the First Continental Congress, the Constitutional Convention, and the early days of our nation’s first capital.

This ongoing exchange continues to strengthen the bonds between our two countries through journalism, understanding, and shared experiences. 🌍🗞️

Photo credit: BP Miller

10/03/2025

What an incredible week in Washington D.C. for our esteemed group of Spring 2025 RIAS Fellows from Germany! 🇩🇪🇺🇸

Since its inception in 1992, the RIAS Berlin Commission has been dedicated to fostering exchanges of ideas, information, and understanding between German and American broadcasters.

Throughout the week, the Fellows took part in a series of impactful discussions, including:

- Public opinion polling at the Pew Research Institute, exchanges with NPR’s Scott Neuman and American University's WAMU Radio host Esther Ciammachilli
- Visits to Real Clear Politics, Radio Free Asia and Deutsche Welle

Telemundo's Washington Bureau Chief, Lori Montenegro, and National Correspondent, Javier Vega gave the group insights into their coverage of the White House and issues vital to the Latino community

At The Heritage Foundation Dr. Nile Gardiner and his team gave the German journalists a better understanding for the American perspective on global affairs under the new administration.

A dinner with Washington-based RIAS alumni, some of whom cover the White House, was a good opportunity to discuss the challenges to journalism among peers.

Since 1992, nearly 2,000 German and U.S. journalists have participated in the RIAS Berlin Commission’s fellowship programs. We’re proud to see the continued growth and impact of this important exchange that builds a bridge between journalists in both countries. 🌍🗞️