In December 2012, GDELT creator Kalev Leetaru traveled to Washington DC to speak at the Council on Foreign Relations Workshop on Social Media and Conflict Prevention, hosted by the Council's Center for Preventive Action. Other speakers included Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Frederick Barton. Kalev's speech surveyed an array of projects he is involved in that blend social and mainstream media in realtime assessments of populations around the world. In January 2013 he was among four experts interviewed for CFR's Ask the Experts: Social Media and Conflict Prevention thoughtpiece.