In the Issue

• Global Goods, Local Impact
• Journalists Examine India's Rise
• Food and Failing States
• The Ethics of Tourism

Features

Global Goods, Local Impact. Walk through any retail store in America today and you'll find a virtual United Nations of products. Whether its toys and drugs made in China, shirts sewn in Cambodia, or diamonds and precious metals mined in Congo and Sierra Leone, foreign-made goods are America's retail reality. Who is responsible for ensuring consumer safety in a globalized world? What are the ethical implications of products made using child labor or to fund an armed conflict? How do these goods impact American trade and local economies? How can reporters effectively cover the local influence of global products? The Stanley Foundation recently organized a panel at the 2008 Radio and Television News Directors' Association convention to help journalists gain a greater understanding of the international frameworks that guide global product safety and security. Read more, including a transcript of the event. 

Journalists Examine India's Rise. A group of American and Indian journalists gained new exposure to India's economic and social extremes by participating in a unique journalism-training workshop in April. As participants in the Stanley Foundation and Reuters Foundation workshop, they toured Asia's largest slum; gained rare access to an outsourced call center; and toured Mahindra Motors, a successful Indian automobile and tractor manufacturer. The goal of the workshop was for the journalists to learn about India's challenges and opportunities in a changing global scene as well as learn from one another.

Beyond the Headlines

Food and Failing States. Recently the media has highlighted the dramatic increase in the price of rice and other agricultural products around the world, which sparked food riots and hoarding in some countries. There are new documentaries and blogs analyzing the problem, along with considerable debate on what the current problem actually is. Marie Mainil, Stanley Foundation program associate, takes an in-depth look at the debate and the global reaction to the issue.

The Ethics of Tourism. Recent crackdowns on tourist visas granted to Tibet and Burma have drawn attention to the merits of traveling to countries experiencing extreme tension or unrest. The Global Code of Ethics, a nine-principled document created by the United Nations World Tourism Organization at a 1997 conference held in Istanbul, provides universal guidelines for the ever-growing global tourism trade. While the code highlights the importance of fostering mutual respect and understanding between host countries and visitors, it guarantees local entrepreneurs access to tourist markets and tourists the freedom of movement around the globe (two rights inhibited when streams of global tourism are controlled or interrupted for political purposes). While Bejiing claims to open its tight hold on entrance to Lhasa, speculation has been narrowed against their questionable violation of this universal code of ethics.

A movement toward socially conscious travel is on the rise. Ecotourism, which encourages culturally and environmentally responsible travel, has gathered increasing momentum in the last five years. Organizations such as the International Centre for Responsible Tourism, World Tourism Organization, and World Traveler and Tourism Council furnish travelers with information about the consequences of traveling to areas of the globe affected by political strife, terrorism, and unrest. Slum tourism, a controversial breed of this type of travel, takes travelers through some of southern Asia and Latin America's most economically devastating areas. While the good intentions of traveling to contentious destinations are obvious, many express concern that the exploitation of local populations and the economic advantages tourism lends oppressive regimes reveal the dark side of ecotourism.