Traveling with the U.S. Department of State, pt. 2
A tour of the Baltics will focus on disinformation and media literacy
I’m excited to share that I’ll be departing for another series of speaking engagements with the U.S. Department of State.
This time I’ll be traveling to Estonia and Latvia, as well as Lithuania, meeting with government officials, journalists, civil society leaders, scholars and students to discuss media literacy and disinformation.
The Background
Long-time readers of this newsletter are aware that the U.S. Department of State has an active speaker program that brings American experts into dialogue with leaders from around the world.
I’ve been fortunate to participate in this program three times thus far:
In 2017, I traveled to Lithuania and spent a week meeting with Lithuanian government officials, universities, museums and U.S. Embassy staff discussing media literacy.
In 2019, the German Marshall Fund, through a State Department grant, invited me to spend a week in France meeting with French Members of Parliament, government officials, business leaders and young professionals, as well as lectures at Science Po Bordeaux and the University of Poitiers.
In May 2023, I participated in a five-week, six-country speaking tour that included Belgium, Germany, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Hungary and Georgia. You can read a recap of that speaking tour here and my article on how in Europe, disinformation is winning.
This Trip
Estonia
On this trip, I’m delighted to be traveling first to Tallinn, Estonia. I’ll meet with colleagues at the U.S. Embassy, as well as government ministers, journalists, students and representatives from the Jewish community. The subject of the meetings will be media literacy, disinformation and the role of historical narratives in politics and public discourse.
Latvia
From Tallinn I’ll travel to Riga, Latvia where I’ll meet with U.S. Embassy personnel, as well as historians, scholars and students. I’ll also deliver a lecture for an auditorium of teachers at the National Library of Latvia.
Lithuania
From Latvia, I will travel to Lithuania to reconnect with friends and colleagues I have made over the years.
Since my first visit to Lithuania in 2017, I’ve forged lasting friendships with several Lithuanian colleagues. I spoke on a panel at the Lithuanian Embassy in Washington in 2019, and in 2022 the Lithuanian Embassy in D.C. was kind enough to host a book talk with me about History, Disrupted.
Throughout the trip, I’ll be aiming to strengthen transatlantic cooperation and find international partners to advance various projects and initiatives, including countering (historical) disinformation and promoting media and historical literacy.
What it means for this newsletter
I’ll post updates from my trip on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter/X, so please connect with me on those platforms. However, I will likely not have the opportunity to publish until I return.
To my new subscribers, welcome! This newsletter has grown significantly this year, and I am so glad you are with me. I apologize for taking a pause in writing, but the good news is: (1) when I return, there will be interesting insights to share with you and; (2) there is an archive of content for you to catch up on.
Catch up on prior posts
Over the past two years we’ve covered a wide range of topics, including disinformation, historical literacy, and artificial intelligence. Here are some of the top articles:
There are also podcasts 🎧.
Looking forward
My gratitude to the U.S. Department of State, our diplomats, and our international partners for the chance to once again represent our country overseas.
Please connect with me on LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter/X and look for updates in the weeks ahead.
Speak to you from the road!
-JS
Enjoy Lithuania again!