Contact: Doug Stone, program director, World Press Institute
dstone@worldpressinstitute.org
ST. PAUL, Minn. —Freedom of the press is under attack around the world, and in the U.S. journalistic ethics are being scrutinized as never before. What to make of this radically changing media climate?
The event, Reporting in an “Anti-media” World, will bring together local investigative reporters and international journalists to consider restrictions and barriers to press freedom as well the role of ethics in these challenging times. The program, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the O’Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium on the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul campus.
The audience will be encouraged to participate through questions and comments.
The program is being presented by the University of St. Thomas Department of Emerging Media and the World Press Institute, a 55-year-old nonprofit that each year brings 10 international journalists to the U.S. for nine weeks of study and travel. It is based at St. Thomas when the journalists are in the Twin Cities.
The event is co-sponsored by Global Minnesota, a Minneapolis nonprofit that works to advance international understanding and engagement, and by the Star Tribune newspaper.
Panelists include A.J. Lagoe of KARE-TV; Jennifer Bjorhus, Star Tribune; Samara Freemark, senior producer of America Public Media’s “In the Dark” podcast; and WPI journalists Hamdi Baala, reporter for HuffPost Algeria; Saara Koho, reporter and columnist for Talouselama, a weekly business magazine in Helsinki; Sorana Stanescu, managing editor, for Decat o Revista, in Bucharest, Romania; and Kate Bartlett, correspondent for Southern and East Africa for Deutsche Presse Agentur (Dpa) in Johannesburg.
The moderator will be Professor Mark Neuzil, chair of the Department of Emerging Media.
“Press freedom and journalistic ethics are such crucial topics in today’s media landscape,” Neuzil said. “We hope that our international guests and our local journalists can shed light on how to navigate in these difficult times. And we hope both the journalists and the members of the community can learn from the discussion.”
University of St. Thomas: The University of St. Thomas, a Catholic comprehensive urban university, is known nationally for academic excellence that prepares students for the complexities of the contemporary world. Through disciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry and deep intercultural understanding, we inspire students to lead, work and serve with the skill and empathy vital to creating a better world.
World Press Institute: Founded in 1961, the World Press Institute has been the premier organization in the United States providing international journalists with the opportunity to broadly investigate the country — its values, traditions of a free press, institutions, customs, regions and peoples. WPI now has nearly 600 alumni from almost 100 different countries around the globe.
Global Minnesota: From the 2nd grader to the CEO, Global Minnesota connects individuals, organizations, and communities to the world. Through a unique lineup of programs offered from the Twin Cities to Greater Minnesota, Global Minnesota takes relevant and timely information on international issues, foreign policy, and cultural topics, and provides the space and opportunity for Minnesotans to engage and discuss.
Star Tribune: Founded as the Minneapolis Tribune in 1867, the Star Tribune has grown to become Minnesota’s #1 local source for news, information and community events and is one of the top regional news organizations in the country.
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