International Reporting

Four images featuring students reporters in the field.

International reporting on the critical issues of our times has been integral to the pedagogy of Berkeley Journalism, dating back to the 1980s.

Our graduates span the globe — working from China to the U.K. to Israel to Latin America — at staff bureaus in major U.S. news outlets like the New York Times, AP, Washington Post, CNN and the Wall Street Journal.

Led by top journalists with years of reporting experience in China and South Asia, India, and Latin America, Berkeley Journalism offers students one-of-a-kind semester-long training and in-the-field reporting opportunities.

Our vision is to cultivate a new generation of journalists who possess cultural competencies that inform a deep and nuanced understanding of global cultures, politics and histories. Students develop critical reporting skills, but also gain firsthand experiences in China, India or Latin America that are crucial for authentic and insightful reporting.

Throughout the semester, students gain knowledge and interdisciplinary skills for reporting in their respective region. These skills culminate in a paid reporting trip during spring break in which students apply their learning to write stories, produce films and create multimedia projects.

Hands on Learning

Students participate in on-the-ground reporting in various countries, guided by experienced journalists and local experts. Hands-on experiences help students build practical skills and a genuine connection with the subjects they cover.

Mentorship and Training

Our projects offer mentorship from seasoned journalists and academics, providing students with editorial guidance throughout their reporting journeys. Classes cover critical aspects of international journalism, including ethical reporting, safety protocols and learning portable recording skills to use in multimedia storytelling.

You won’t just report about these countries, you’ll report from these countries.

What Our Graduates Are Saying...

Man in a suit wearing headphones, holding a microphone at an outdoor table with recording equipment and cables.

"The J-School set me up for success..."

I went to UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism seeking opportunities to report on Asia-Pacific affairs, with a focus on China. I studied Chinese, took courses about reporting on Asia, and was able to work with accomplished professional journalists who had extensive on-the-ground reporting experience in Asia. My first-ever international reporting trip was part of a J-School course on Hong Kong. That led to a summer internship in Taiwan. The J-School at Berkeley set me up for success in radio journalism with an emphasis on international news. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to be able to report from China, South Korea, Hong Kong, across the Middle East and in Europe.

Matthew Bell ('00)

Editor & Correspondent, “The World” Public Radio Program, GBH Boston & PRX

Woman in a red and black jacket and blue beanie smiling, sitting on a boat with a life vest, background of water and rocks.

"No way I would have been able to fulfill my dream of becoming a foreign correspondent without it..."

While I may have become a journalist even without going to Berkeley, there is no way I would have been able to fulfill my dream of becoming a foreign correspondent without it. Few outlets will assign new reporters a foreign story unless they have the clips to prove they are up to it. The international reporting courses I took (Middle East and China and Hong Kong) gave me those clips, and the confidence to pitch more stories. It was a professor's recommendation that pointed me towards a paid internship with Time in Hong Kong, but it was the nitty-gritty practicalities we learned in those classes that gave me the skills necessary to turn that internship into a full time job offer. When 9/11 turned the world upside down, it was all the foreign reporting classes I had done that prepared me for an assignment in Afghanistan, which set me on the path to bureau chief. That, in turn, launched my 23-year career as a foreign correspondent.

Aryn Baker (’01)

Former senior international climate and environment correspondent at TIME

"Gave me the tools, knowledge, networks and inspiration to pursue it..."

At the time I applied to the Berkeley J-school, I’d tasted enough of international reporting to be enthralled by it but still didn’t know how to make it work. The program at North Gate not only reinforced what intrigued me about a career as a foreign correspondent, but also gave me the tools, knowledge, networks and inspiration to pursue it. My coursework, instructors, classmates all challenged and enriched me -- more than I anticipated. And lo and behold it worked!

Josh Chin 李肇华

Deputy Bureau Chief, China, The Wall Street Journal

A smiling man with curly hair and a beard is wearing a dark T-shirt. He is looking directly at the camera. The background is softly blurred, featuring wooden elements and soft lighting from windows on the right side.

"Mentorship of the best journalists in the field..."

The J-School has been the best experience in my professional career and a catalyst for success in journalism. From the freedom to work on stories that I was interested in, to having the mentorship of the best journalists in the field, who are often alumni of the program, I got a lot in just two years of being there. I grew as a journalist and storyteller because of the J-School.

Serginho Roosblad ('18)

Video producer, Associated Press Global Investigations team

Carlos sits outdoors wearing a black shirt adorned with colorful, geometric patterns around the collar, sleeves, and chest. The background features green foliage. The man has a calm expression and short hair.

"Shaping my career..."

I joined the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism with the goal of becoming an international correspondent. With experienced and dedicated professors, outstanding classmates, supportive staff and a strong array of courses that met my needs, the J-School gave me a one-of-a-kind preparation for a career in international journalism, which I quickly transitioned into after graduation. I’m forever grateful for the J-School's role in shaping my career.

Carlos Mureithi (‘19)

East Africa Correspondent, The Guardian

A man with curly hair and glasses, wearing a suit, stands outdoors with lush foliage in the background.

"I still rely on those lessons in what I do today..."

I became interested in international reporting after studying in China as an undergraduate. The journalism school’s international reporting program, in particular a trip to Nagasaki as part of Todd Carrel and Masahiko Sasajima's course on covering Japan, helped me learn how to report in a new place and raise my ambitions for the sort of work I hoped to do. I still rely on those lessons in what I do today.

Austin Ramzy (’03)

Hong Kong-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal

News anchor in a suit standing at a glass desk in a modern TV studio with a "BBC News" screen in the background, expertly delivering international reporting.

"Built a foundation of reporting skills that I’ve been able to take with me anywhere..."

UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism gave me my first chance to report internationally – helping me chase down stories and produce documentaries in places like Colombia and El Salvador. Most importantly I built a foundation of reporting skills that I’ve been able to take with me anywhere: from Central America, to Germany and the UK.

Carl Nasman ('12)

Presenter | Reporter | Climate Journalist at BBC News

A man being filmed standing on rocky terrain with an erupting volcano in the background, capturing the raw power of nature.

"I was hoping against hope that I would get in..."

...Whitaker researched the best journalism schools in the U.S. “UC Berkeley was one of them. I was hoping against hope that I would get in. And I did. At the J-school, his professors demanded clear, concise storytelling. Whitaker learned to write like a reporter. He remembers red lines and notes bleeding through his drafts. Non sequiturs were circled. Grandiose statements were crossed out. Superfluous details, cut. To Whitaker, the takeaways were clear: “Hit the nail on the head, make it make sense, make me understand, make me care.” (Source: California Magazine)

Bill Whitaker

60 Minutes correspondent

Where Our Alums Work Now

Featured International Stories

A coast guard captain on a small Greek island must save thousands of refugees from drowning at sea

4.1 Miles

Daphne Matziaraki ('16) had barely picked up a camera before she enrolled in the documentary program in 2014. Two years later, her thesis film "4.1 Miles" premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, won a Student Academy Award, a BAFTA Student Film Award and Special Jury Prize.

Firestone and the Warlord

Jonathan Jones' ('05) investigation into Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.'s history in Liberia became the basis of a documentary with PBS Frontline and ProPublica, which aired on PBS in 2014 and earned him two Emmys in Outstanding Long Form Investigative Journalism and Outstanding Research.

We Became Fragments

Thesis film by Luisa Conlon, Hanna Miller and Lacy Jane Roberts ('17) follows Ibraheem Sarhan and his father during his first week at a new high school in a new country. Narrated through his diaries, the film explores his heartbreak, resilience and search for identity in exile. It screened at the UN General Assembly, was nominated for an IDA Award and acquired by New York Times Op-Docs.