After 140 days of uncertainty, the fate of two American journalists has been decided in a carefully orchestrated visit by former President Bill Clinton.
Laura Ling, 32, and Euna Lee, 36, left North Korea on a private jet with the former president on Tuesday, according to wire reports.
"We were shocked," Ling said in a press conference held Wednesday. "But we knew instantly in our heart that the nightmare of our lives was finally coming to an end, and now we stand here home and free."
At UF/s College of Journalism and Communications, professors and students are relieved to know that they have protection even in foreign countries.
"I feel like it/s incredible that the U.S. is taking such initiative in our safety overseas," said Katherine Laguna, a junior telecommunications major. "I feel comfortable going overseas to report."
Associate professor of journalism John Freeman reacted positively to the outcome of the North Korean conflict.
"It/s always scary when people are doing their jobs and get accused of doing something else that/s wrong," Freeman said. "I think it/s thrilling when you see them coming down the steps and thinking about what they had to endure for no reasonable reason."
Study-abroad courses at UF are aimed to help students gain experience in working outside of their comfort zone.
"Whenever we meet with foreign journalists in Berlin, they/ve always have a broad background in understanding other cultures," Freeman said.
Each spring, Freeman takes 15 students to Berlin on a two-week trip to expand their knowledge of photography and learn how to work in an international setting.
"Being in Berlin is always exciting because at one time it was communist on one side," Freeman said. "That thought is always there about the dangers."
The College of Journalism and Communications offers classes such as World Communications and Problems and Ethics of Journalism in Society to help prepare students to work outside of the United States.
In an earlier interview, former USA Today Baghdad Bureau Chief Rick Jervis said the best way to learn how to internationally report is "just getting out there."
The College of Journalism and Communications will continue its study abroad opportunities with a trip to Brazil this fall.
"The whole concept of study abroad is something that Florida students should do so they can become global in their thinking," Freeman said. "A lot of people are too geared toward the USA only."
