Global Media Exchange: Visa Bans Hit NABJ
By Morgan Norris
Global media exchange at the 50th NABJ Convention is being confronted by an unexpected obstacle: visa bans.
Trump administration travel restrictions are making their presence felt at this year's NABJ convention, blocking plans by a group of African broadcasters to appear in person for a discussion about media challenges in their home country.
Former NABJ President Bob Butler said the Sierra Leone Broadcasters Association approached NABJ after last year's conference to discuss a partnership that SiLBA Chair Stanley Bangura sought as a way to strengthen his members' reporting.
NABJ President Ken Lemon asked Butler to organize a panel for this year’s convention, “The Challenges of Radio Journalism in Africa, with Special Reference to Sierra Leone,” to spur international dialogue.
But on June 4, President Donald Trump announced a ban on several visa categories: B-1, B-2, F, M, and J. The ban includes travel from seven countries, including Sierra Leone.
Two weeks before the ban, SiLBA had already applied for visitor visas, anticipating participation in this year's convention.
“We were directly affected by the declaration,” said Bangura. “The office could have communicated more with us throughout the process, but of course, that did not happen.”
Last month, at Veteran Journalist Richard Prince’s Journal-isms virtual roundtable, Lemon said he received an email from SiLBA members about the obstacles they were encountering with the State Department.
The U.S. Embassy in Sierra Leone advised those who had applied to seek an expedited process for media visas that foreign journalists can use to travel. But as of Monday, Bangura said he hadn't heard back.
“Once the ban was declared, even expedited requests were halted,” he told the Monitor, “Our members were left in limbo.”
Bangura said his group plans to try to attend the NABJ Convention next year.
“We believe in reciprocal knowledge-sharing and what NABJ stands for,” he said.
Even though SiLBa’s journalists won’t be able to attend the 50th convention in person, they’ll still participate in the panel on Saturday — they’ll just join remotely.
“We’d love to host global journalists in person, but a lack of funding to assist them with travel and the administration continues to be barriers,” said NABJ Global Journalism Task Force Co-chair Kiratiana Freelon.
“This disruption goes beyond visas,” said Aurora Ellis, who co-chairs the task force with Freelon. “It challenges how we exchange ideas. So, per usual, it’s time to lean into digital tools and find creative ways to connect across borders.”
“The Challenges of Radio Journalism in Africa, with Special Reference to Sierra Leone,” will take place starting at 11 a.m. Saturday in Room 19.
