In case you didn't notice, 7NEWS reporter Keith Swift has been away for the past 6 weeks. He returned from New York City over the weekend where he was participating in the Reham Al-Farra Memorial Fellowship program at the United Nations. Keith spent 6 weeks alongside 9 journalists from the developing world and if you thought it was a vacation or "media jolly", then he has proof to show otherwise. Here is his report.
Keith SwiftReporting, [From New York City]
Its 45 floors majestically beam atop the New York City skyline. And for six weeks with all its wonder, this tall building, the United Nations headquarters, was simply home to me and 9 other journalists. We were our own little United Nations with participation from countries both near and far. Near like Linda from right across the sea in Grenada [Audio of Linda giggling] and very far like Sarhang from the Northern part of Iraq in the Middle East [Audio of Sarhang singing].
So for six weeks Sarhang sang, Linda laughed, and we all learnt what exactly goes down inside no. 1 UN Plaza. There we had a VIP backseat and almost too- close-for-comfort access to American President George W. Bush as he addressed the United Nations.
George W. Bush, U.S. President
“...The American people respect the idealism that gave life to this organization and we respect the men and women of the UN who stand for peace and human rights in every part of the world. Welcome to New York City and welcome to the United States of America.”
And while their head of state made the address, in what may be a Belizean first, our address was given a week later by our Permanent Representative to the United Nations Stuart Leslie - a senior diplomat but the lowest ranking public official ever to address the General Assembly for Belize.
And while there was diplomacy inside, on the outside it was just plain old security for the prez. I got to see the men in black at work with a motorcade, sharp shooters on top of the UN building, and literally, dozens of uniformed and plain-clothed cops.
We then briefly left our digs at the U.N. for the seats on an Amtrak train. Destination? Washington D.C. where we toured the Capitol building.
In Washington we also made our international television debut as part of the studio audience for a live broadcast of the CNN debate show, Crossfire, at the George Washington University auditorium.
But my short cameo on the Crossfire was nothing compared to the Atlanta leg of trip when I stopped in at the CNN center.
“Reporting from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Keith Swift 7NEWS...err that actually has a nice ring to it.”
No seriously though I was reporting from there. And even more serious were some of our stops like at the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Center, and the Carter Presidential Library.
In Washington, we saw the World Bank and International Monetary Fund buildings. And back in New York, we went upstate to Rochester, near the Canadian border, where we saw the amazing Niagara Falls.
But for all the fun we had on the trip and all the laughs we shared, we also picked up some knowledge along the way. And that is knowledge both about each other and the United Nations.
Daniela Tuchel, Romania
“Hi I am Daniela I come from Romania in Eastern Europe and I am a print journalist. I must say I enjoyed this program very much especially that it gave me the opportunity to meet people from so many different countries of the world.”
Sarhang Hars, Iraq
“I think from the practical point of view it was very important and also to know other journalists from other countries.”
Gordon Moseley, Guyana
“You learnt a whole about the UN and you’ve made friendships and you’ve made links with persons you of course want to stay in touch with.”
Aija Lulle, Latvia
“I will take him new contacts and new things and...I bought many clothes in New York and new shoes and I would love to buy a new laptop. But if you put jokes aside it was a really great program.”
And at least for me more than the pieces of luggage, that was also the most important thing I brought back from New York.
Keith kept us informed with regular blogs and here is a recap:
. It’s Keith Live from the UN
. Keith is Blogging Out
. Keith's In A New York State of Mind
*Video footage used in the broadcast version of this story was provided courtesy Gordon Moseley from Capitol News in Guyana.